Enough Signatures Now Verified To Ensure Newsom Recall Election

LOS ANGELES, CA — For the second time this century, the nation's most populous state will decide whether to recall its governor. California Secretary of State Shirley Weber confirmed Monday that enough registered voters signed the petition to force a recall election of Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Newsom issued an immediate response on Twitter.

"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," he said.

According to Weber, the Republican-led recall effort submitted more than the 1,495,709 verified voter signatures needed to force the recall election. That is equal to 12 percent of all ballots cast in the last gubernatorial election. Proponents of the Newsom recall gathered at least 1,626,042 valid voter signatures, according to state officials.

The last time Republican to capture the state's highest office — Arnold Schwarzenegger — also rode in on a recall in 2003. There remain several steps before the recall petition can be certified, but it's likely that Newsom will be forced to defend his seat by the fall.

The recall election will ask voters if Newsom should be recalled, and, if so, who should replace him. If a majority says "no" to ousting Newsom, he will remain in office. If a majority votes to remove him, then whoever among the candidates gets the most votes becomes California governor.

No prominent Democrats have yet to announce their candidacies, but several Republicans have including John Cox, who Newsom defeated two years ago, Caitlyn Jenner and former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer.

Newsom, who won office by historic margins, won't be listed as a candidate. He has seen his favorability ratings drop amid frustration with his handling of the pandemic and shutdown orders that critics called draconian.

If Newsom is recalled, his replacement won't necessarily require a voter majority to win. With numerous candidates in the running, the winning candidate could take office with less than 50 percent of the vote as Schwarzenegger did in 2003.

The recall effort sprouted last February, before the pandemic severely upended life in California, but supporters say that Newsom's response to the pandemic has been disastrous for businesses and revealed serious fissures within the state's unemployment agency after an audit revealed widespread fraud.

Newsom broke his silence on the recall in mid-March, slamming the recall as a partisan ploy. The governor officially launched a counter-campaign, vowing to fight the recall.

"I won't be distracted by this partisan, Republican recall — but I will fight it," he said then. "There is too much at stake."

Newsom's vow to fight back could pose a formidable threat for recall supporters. Under state rules, the California governor can raise money in unlimited amounts, while other candidates must abide by contribution limits.

In a recent non-scientific survey, Patch asked readers to share their thoughts about the recall. Out of a pool of 14,997 respondents, 51.7 percent voted "yes" on whether they would support a recall election for Newsom, 47.4 percent said they wouldn't support it and 1.2 percent said they were not sure.

The survey, which appeared in questionnaire form last month on Patch, was meant not to be a scientific poll but only to give a broad idea of public sentiment.

Patch Staffers Paige Austin and Kat Schuster contributed to this report.