President Biden sought to drum up support Thursday for California Gov. Gavin Newsom, urging voters to oppose the recall amid polls showing that the Democratic governor’s foes are far more energized than his fans.
“Governor Newsom is leading California through unprecedented crises,” said Mr. Biden in a statement. “He is a key partner in fighting the pandemic and delivering economic relief to working families and helping us build our economy back better than ever.”
The president cited Mr. Newsom’s work on “the climate crisis, standing up for the rights of women, immigrants, and the LGBTQ community,” adding that the governor “knows how to get the job done because he’s been doing it.
“To keep him on the job, registered California voters should vote ‘no’ on the recall election by Sept. 14 and keep California moving forward,” the president said.
The statement coincided with reports that Mr. Biden and Vice President Kamala D. Harris plan to become active in the recall campaign leading up to the special election, possibly including appearances in California.
NEW: President Biden releases statement officially urging a NO on Gov. Newsom’s recall.
A source familiar with POTUS & VP planning says both will be actively supporting Newsom leading up to the election, including possible in person events. pic.twitter.com/sFR1jZKTGI
— Ashley Zavala (@ZavalaA) August 13, 2021
The latest UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll showed likely voters split on the recall, with 47% in favor and 50% opposed, but that Republicans were far more interested in casting ballots than Democrats or voters with no party preference.
“These results make plain that the big question surrounding the recall will be whether the Newsom campaign and Democratic activists are able to get Democratic voters more engaged and interested in voting in September,” said IGS co-director Erick Schickler in a July 27 statement.
In Mr. Newsom’s favor is the 2:1 Democratic voter registration advantage over Republicans, and the recall rules allowing the governor—but not the recall candidates—to raise unlimited funds.
Mr. Newsom and his allies had amassed $49.6 million as of last week, according to the CalMatters recall tracker, about three times more than the recall candidates combined.
Leading the field of 46 candidates vying to replace the governor is Los Angeles radio talk-show host Larry Elder, followed by Republican businessman John Cox and former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, according to the IGS poll.
The two-part recall ballot asks whether Mr. Newsom should be removed from office. If a majority of voters answers yes, then the top vote-getter among the candidates on the second part of the ballot would replace Mr. Newsom.
The California Democratic Party has encouraged voters to vote “no” on the recall question and leave the second question blank, according to a Tuesday post on the party’s Facebook face.
Source:Washington Times
