The White House praised California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s survival in a state recall election, arguing that the Democrat’s sweeping margin makes the case for President Joe Biden’s latest COVID-19 rules.
“This was a resounding victory for Gov. Newsom, but also for a science-based approach to fighting the pandemic for vaccines, for testing, for steps that will protect more people and save more lives,” press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Wednesday. “There’s extensive data from last night that shows that Californians were overwhelmingly in favor of a leader who was willing to take strong steps to defeat COVID and get the economy up and running.”
BIDEN TO NEWSOM’S RESCUE? WHITE HOUSE MAY NEED IT TO BE THE OTHER WAY AROUND
Newsom defeated the measure by a 2-1 margin, 66% to 33%, according to the Associated Press.
During an appearance in the state on Monday, Biden said voters risked electing a “clone” of former President Donald Trump if the governor failed to defeat the recall measure. Conservative talk radio host Larry Elder was the leading Republican in the polls if the recall had prevailed.
Newsom found success mandating COVID-19 vaccines or regular tests for state employees, healthcare workers, teachers, and other school staff over the past two months. Biden announced a similar program last week requiring vaccines for federal workers and shots or weekly tests for employees at larger companies.
In a statement, Biden argued that Newsom’s victory was a testament to their approach and said returns showed the message had resonated across political lines.
“This vote is a resounding win for the approach that he and I share to beating the pandemic: strong vaccine requirements, strong steps to reopen schools safely, and strong plans to distribute real medicines, not fake treatments, to help those who get sick,” Biden said. “The fact that voters in both traditionally Democratic and traditionally Republican parts of the state rejected the recall shows that Americans are unifying behind taking these steps to get the pandemic behind us.”
Newsom drew strong criticism for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic last year, which included closing public schools and businesses. After the governor was pictured dining at a Napa Valley restaurant, while the surrounding county was under lockdown orders, the petition to recall him gained momentum.
The governor’s strategy to fight the virus shifted following the restaurant incident, according to Joe Rodota, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s policy chief during his run for California governor in 2003 and a veteran of the Reagan White House.
“Last year, [Newsom] was saying health first — there was no higher goal than conquering the virus. He was providing no leadership on opening schools. And he had a disastrous, ineffective economic recovery task force of 107 people that collapsed in November of 2020, with no recommendation,” Rodota said in an interview with the Washington Examiner this week.
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Newsom transformed his strategy, instead becoming an advocate for opening schools and supporting businesses, Rodota said. He also abandoned his color-coded coronavirus restriction “tiers.”
“He became more of a governor, among Democrats, like Jared Polis and Gina Raimondo — governors trying to do three things at once, which is protect the healthcare of their citizens, keep the schools open, and keep as many businesses open as possible,” Rodota said. “Republicans challenging him failed to present an analysis of this moment and how they would do the job differently beyond some symbolic gestures.”
