Newsom May Face His Sixth Recall Attempt – Would It Become Successful?
In his two-year term in office, California Gov. Gavin Newsom has already endured five long-shot recall attempts. Despite this, several of the governor’s close associates have expressed their concerns on the matter. His team members have stated that this time around, the current recall attempt posed against Newsom might become successful as more people voiced their frustrations about handling the state’s pandemic situation.
A Politico report has revealed that Newsom’s chief of staff, Ann O’Leary, prepares to leave Sacramento for a potential job in Biden’s administration. The news sparked the possibility of the current recall attempt to work against Newsom. As he progresses through his three-year term in office, Newsom’s team gets increasingly worried about a long-shot conservative recall against him. If proven successful, the attempt would serve as a significant threat towards the governor in 2021.
Additionally, the report stated that over the past month, sources revealed that Newsom’s team members became disorganized and have failed to respond effectively to deadlines. The article also listed a few more of Newsom’s scandals. That includes his controversial new stay-at-home order, delay in naming Vice President Kamala Harris’s United States Senate replacement, and French Laundry trip. Moreover, New York and Massachusetts were the only ones whose public schools remain open while the rest of the country stay closed. Small business owners also protested against forced business shutdowns due to a lack of evidence supporting the legislation.
Recall Organizers Request More Financial Aid for Signature Completion
In his Wednesday column, The Chronicle’s Peter Matier interviewed multiple recall leaders. Organizers agreed that more financial support could help them gather enough signatures to force the state to conduct a recall election. The last recall election happened way back in 2003, where Gray Davis got voted off from his position as the state governor.
Matier got to interview Orrin, one of the recall leaders. The retired Yolo County Sheriff’s Department sergeant admitted that Newsom gives them a new and compelling reason daily to convince more people to sign for another recall attempt.
Fellow recall leader Mike Netter also agreed with Orrin’s statement. According to Netter, they could have already propped the state to do a recall election if the petition gets another million dollars in donations.
Until March 17, organizers should gather approximately 1,495,709 valid voter signatures to push through another recall election. As of late, promoters have reported that they have already obtained 800,000. However, they still need to get 500,000 more signatures, and an additional financial budget could help them achieve their fixed goal.
Hoover Institution’s Bill Whalen explained that organizers would need a big check written by an outsider like how Gray Davis’s 2003 recall election occurred after Darrell Issa funded the attempt.
Once organizers collected enough valid signatures, the petition’s time of submission would determine the date of a potential recall election. Moreover, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer readies himself to challenge Newsom’s position in 2022. In a 2021 possible recall election, Faulconer would most likely take the chance to run against the current governor.
California’s History of Recall Attempts and Davis’ 2003 Election
The Secretary of State’s Office revealed that for the past 108 years, California residents have tried 86 times to demand recall elections against previous statewide officials.
Out of the 86 attempts, only one became successful: Democratic Gray Davis’s recall election in 2003. At the time, voters terminated Davis and replaced him with Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican politician.
Californians never got the chance to cast their ballots over the 85 failed tries of requesting a recall election. Organizers never reached their fixed number of signatures for the petitions.
