California Gov. Gavin Newsom recall election set for Sept. 14
On Sept. 14, California voters will hit the polls to decide whether they should recall Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) or let him finish out his term.
On Thursday, California's secretary of state certified that the campaign to recall Newsom received 1.7 million petition signatures. Under state law, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis (D) had to schedule the election within 60 to 80 days after the signatures were certified. It was estimated by the California Department of Finance that this special election will cost $276 million.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Newsom has blasted the recall organizers as being disgruntled supporters of former President Donald Trump, QAnon adherents, and fringe members of the far-right, the Times reports. Recent opinion polls show that with the economy surging and the statewide restrictions lifted, Newsom has favorable job approval ratings. To fight the recall, Newsom is allowed to fundraise and spend with no limit, and his anti-recall committee has already raised more than $16.7 million.
Voters will decide if Newsom should be recalled, and if so, who should replace him; he is not allowed to appear on the ballot as a candidate. His opponents have until 59 days before the election to file their formal paperwork, and already several Republicans have said they will run against Newsom, including reality TV star Caitlyn Jenner and businessman John Cox. Cox lost the gubernatorial race to Newsom in 2018 — the same year Newsom won by the largest electoral margin in modern state history.
California has only recalled one governor: Democrat Gray Davis, who was removed from office in 2003 amid statewide budget cuts and rolling blackouts. Action movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger replaced Davis — the last Republican to serve as California's governor.
-
5 cinematic cartoons about Bezos betting big on 'Melania'Cartoons Artists take on a girlboss, a fetching newspaper, and more
-
The fall of the generals: China’s military purgeIn the Spotlight Xi Jinping’s extraordinary removal of senior general proves that no-one is safe from anti-corruption drive that has investigated millions
-
Why the Gorton and Denton by-election is a ‘Frankenstein’s monster’Talking Point Reform and the Greens have the Labour seat in their sights, but the constituency’s complex demographics make messaging tricky
-
Trump sues IRS for $10B over tax record leaksSpeed Read The president is claiming ‘reputational and financial harm’ from leaks of his tax information between 2018 and 2020
-
Trump, Senate Democrats reach DHS funding dealSpeed Read The deal will fund most of the government through September and the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks
-
Fed holds rates steady, bucking Trump pressureSpeed Read The Federal Reserve voted to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged
-
Judge slams ICE violations amid growing backlashSpeed Read ‘ICE is not a law unto itself,’ said a federal judge after the agency violated at least 96 court orders
-
Rep. Ilhan Omar attacked with unknown liquidSpeed Read This ‘small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work’
-
Democrats pledge Noem impeachment if not firedSpeed Read Trump is publicly defending the Homeland Security secretary
-
The billionaires’ wealth tax: a catastrophe for California?Talking Point Peter Thiel and Larry Page preparing to change state residency
-
Hegseth moves to demote Sen. Kelly over videospeed read Retired Navy fighter pilot Mark Kelly appeared in a video reminding military service members that they can ‘refuse illegal orders’
