The California Republican Party has decided not to endorse one candidate in the recall election that could result in the ouster of Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Four candidates, conservative radio host Larry Elder, former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, state Assemblyman Kevin Kiley, and former Rep. Doug Ose, qualified to be eligible for the party’s endorsement, but none of them reached the requisite 60% threshold among party delegates on Saturday. The recall election is scheduled to take place on Sept. 14.
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Had the party voted to endorse a specific candidate, it would have provided him or her with the resources and infrastructure of the party to support the campaign. Instead, all 42 candidates who qualified for the Sept. 14 ballot will be running their campaigns without the backing of the party.
“Today’s overwhelming decision by our delegates to offer no endorsement speaks to the strength of our field of candidates and the outstanding position our party is in going into the recall election. We are squarely focused on putting California back on track by recalling the worst governor in California history,” the California GOP said, adding that Newsom is “arrogant, incompetent and a desperate politician who has failed Californians in every way possible.”
Republican National Committee members Harmeet Dhillon and Shawn Steel brought a motion to table the endorsement vote, and it passed with 90% support from delegates.
“This is the worst governor, not only in California history, but even before California became a state,” Steel said to delegates. “I think it’s time to focus on Sept. 14 and get our people out.”
The campaign to recall Newsom started last year and gained momentum as business owners and residents grew frustrated with the governor’s coronavirus restrictions. The effort has been labeled a “Republican recall” by Newsom, but organizers said they’ve gotten support from some Democrats and independents.
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Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, a Democrat, announced on July 1 that voters will decide whether or not to oust Newsom on Sept. 14 after state authorities determined recall organizers obtained enough valid signatures. Days earlier, Secretary of State Shirley Weber’s office confirmed that organizers had collected well above the roughly 1.5 million verified signatures needed to move forward with the recount.
The ballot will ask two questions. If more than 50% of voters vote “yes” in response to the first question asking whether Newsom should be recalled, then the winner of the second question of who should replace him will become the governor of the most populous state in America.
