California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom has successfully fended off an attempt to topple him in a recall election. Republicans had tried to unseat him over his policies on immigration, COVID-19 and crime.
California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom on Tuesday became the second state governor in US history to defeat a recall aimed at removing him from office early.
Voters had been called to the ballot box to decide whether to recall the Democrat governor.
Republicans aimed to oust the incumbent by means of the recall process in the country’s most populous, and largely Democratic-leaning, state.
Newsom’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic had angered some Californians, especially conservatives, but he remained ahead in the polls. He won a landslide victory for the post in 2018.
The recall process has been questioned over its cost and quirkiness. Voters were first asked if they thought Newsom should stay in power, and then asked who they thought should replace him if not.
Newsom had to win more than 50% of the first votes to keep his job. If he had failed to, then whichever challenger received the most votes would have become governor — no matter how few votes they won.
Trump himself, who continues to peddle misinformation about the 2020 presidential election, asked on Monday: “Does anybody really believe the California Recall Election isn’t rigged?”
The criticism has focused on mail-in ballots, however, an overwhelming majority of Californians voted by mail even before the pandemic and there have been no cases of widespread voter fraud.
SN
