27th April, 2021
Agency Report
California Governor Gavin Newsom will likely face a recall next fall after a Republican-led effort to recall him garnered enough valid signatures to make the ballot.
State election officials made this known on Monday, although they have not formally approved the recall or set a date for an election.
Newsom is due for re-election next year, but the race to replace him is already shaping up to be chaotic.
Three Republicans – including transgender activist Caitlyn Jenner – are in the race.
Under California law, officials have until Thursday to provide a final count of valid signatures.
Voters will then be allowed an additional 30 days to remove their approval if they change their minds.
But as of Monday, backers of the petition to remove Newsom, a cause celebre among Republicans nationwide, had submitted 1.6 million valid signatures demanding a recall election, the Secretary of State’s office said.
Newsom, a former lieutenant governor and San Francisco mayor, was elected governor in 2018 with almost 62% of the vote.
He would be up for re-election in 2022.
The recall effort targeting Newsom began in February 2020, led by a group called the California Patriot Coalition that opposed Newsom’s liberal politics.
The campaign has picked up steam amid frustration with the state’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout, closed schools and changing public health rules.