SAN LEANDRO, CALIFORNIA — Vice President Kamala Harris railed against the effort to oust California Gov. Gavin Newsom from office, characterizing his seat as a bulwark against incursions on the Biden administration’s sweeping Democratic agenda.
“Let us send the message to the world, that these are the things we stand for, these are the things we fight for and we will not give up, because we know that so much is at stake,” Harris said in remarks at the IBEW-NECA Joint Apprenticeship Training Center in San Leandro, California. “So many are counting on us and there was so much good that we can do.”
POLLING SHOWS VULNERABLE GAVIN NEWSOM AS RECALL BALLOTS HIT MAILBOXES IN CALIFORNIA
Newsom’s recall would prove a significant blow for Democrats ahead of the 2022 elections, as Harris’s party tries to defend a razor-thin majority in the House and only controls the Senate by virtue of the vice president’s tiebreaking vote.
The governor’s agenda, with interests parallel to President Joe Biden’s in Washington, would also come under further scrutiny — just as the White House gears up to push its multi-trillion-dollar families spending package through Congress.
“I’m here for one purpose, to speak in support of my dear friend, my long-standing friend, a great California leader, a great American leader, Governor Gavin Newsom,” Harris said, before quipping, “In front of his face.”
“In a moment of crisis that was unpredictable, he led,” Harris said, praising Newsom’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, including on vaccines and mask mandates. Still, voters have criticized his approach, charging that his handling of the crisis has been oppressive, hurting businesses in the state.
Newsom has also faced charges of hypocrisy from voters after he was photographed dining with lobbyists at a Napa Valley restaurant while the surrounding county was under lockdown. Calls for a special election grew following this.
Harris praised working families and union members, on whom the Biden administration has placed a special focus since taking office, and argued that the recall was about something larger than political jockeying.
“We are also, in this election, making a statement about who we are as a nation,” Harris said. “If having a governor who is for workers’ rights and labor unions weren’t a problem for them, they wouldn’t be trying to recall him.”
Democrats hold an almost 2-to-1 voter registration advantage in the deep blue state, but Newsom’s handling of the pandemic, homelessness, and rising crime have stoked opposition to his governorship.
Harris’s stop comes less than one week before the Sept. 14 recall vote, and she is the latest high-profile figure to fly out to fight in his corner.
Over the weekend, Newsom welcomed Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar at two separate events. Harris’s entrance, however, is the most high-profile yet.
With less than one week to go, Democrats’ chief goal is pressing voters to turn in their ballots.
“It’s not just getting out the vote, it’s turning in the vote, by turning in these ballots,” Newsom told the crowd, though millions have been returned already since landing in mailboxes last month.
Newsom has said repeatedly that he could lose the race if Democrats choose to hang back. He argued the point again on Wednesday, charging that the race was hanging in the balance.
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“Larry Elder’s running away with it,” Newsom said, warning that “in a matter of weeks” he could be replaced in office by the conservative talk radio host, who has voiced positions anathema to many California voters, including on the minimum wage, corporate taxes, climate change, and government services. Eager to draw a contrast, Democrats and Newsom have pointed to these positions repeatedly.
