The petition to recall California Gov. Gavin Newsom garnered enough verified signatures to trigger a recall election for the Democrat, California Secretary of State Shirley Weber announced on Monday.
“This now triggers the next phase of the recall process, a 30-business-day period in which voters may submit written requests to county Registrars of Voters to remove their names from the recall petition,” Weber said in a statement. “A recall election will be held unless a sufficient number of signatures are withdrawn.”
While citizens are given 30 days to withdraw their signatures if they wish, as of Monday afternoon, approximately 1,626,042 signatures were verified, surpassing the state’s goal of 1,495,709 signatures. If the number of signatures is still above the threshold in 30 business days, the official recall election will commence.
The campaign to unseat Newsom began last year as more and more of his constituents became frustrated with extensive government-mandated lockdowns, including school closures and onerous church restrictions, and other coronavirus regulations not rooted in science. In November, Newsom attended a maskless indoor dinner at an expensive restaurant accompanied by a group of people. The Democrat’s blatant disregard for his own COVID-19 rules furthered his citizens’ desire to unseat him.
EXCLUSIVE: We've obtained photos of Governor Gavin Newsom at the Napa dinner party he's in hot water over. The photos call into question just how outdoors the dinner was. A witness who took photos tells us his group was so loud, the sliding doors had to be closed. 10pm on @FOXLA pic.twitter.com/gtOVEwa864
— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) November 18, 2020
While a date for the recall election is still pending, potential candidates have come forward offering to run against the governor if he is recalled. Former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, San Diego businessman and former candidate John Cox, and celebrity Caitlyn Jenner have all signaled their intent to enter the race when it begins.
“Californians from all walks of life are seizing this historic opportunity to demand change. Democrats, Republicans, and Independents are coming together to support this recall and get our state back on track. As the only candidate who’s won tough elections and enacted real reform, I am ready to lead this movement,” Faulconer said in a statement. “Together, we will turn the page on Gavin Newsom’s failures and begin a California Comeback to reopen our schools, cut taxes for working families, and create jobs for the people of our state.”
Newsom responded to the news by posting a video characterizing those who want to recall him as “anti-vaccine QAnon extremists” and “violent white supremacists.”
This Republican recall threatens our values and seeks to undo the important progress we’ve made — from fighting COVID, to helping struggling families, protecting our environment, and passing commonsense gun violence solutions.
There's too much at stake. pic.twitter.com/5ZEszlrcYl
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) April 26, 2021
California has not seen a recall election since 2003 when then-Democrat Gov. Gray Davis was replaced by Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, but that hasn’t stopped groups such as the California GOP from pushing for an election.
“Newsom kept children out of school by not standing up to the teachers’ unions. He lied about suffering through Zoom school with California parents while his own children attend in-person private school. His unemployment department paid billions in fraudulent claims but can’t return calls to legitimately out-of-work Californians. He hypocritically ignored his own rules and dined mask-less, indoors at the French Laundry while too many Californians stood in bread lines for the first time and were told not to gather with others. Voters signed recall petitions because California is on the wrong track, and we deserve better than the failures of this incompetent governor. Gavin Newsom earned this recall, and we look forward to helping him into early retirement later this fall,” California Republican Party Chairwoman Jessica Millan Patterson said in a statement.
