[ad_1]
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday attacked the Republican leading the pack of candidates trying to replace him in the September recall election, calling Tory talk show host Larry Elder a climate change denier that would restrict rights to the abortion and end the minimum wage if elected.
Newsom’s streak against his opponent comes just a week after a poll showed California voters are likely divided almost evenly over ousting the governor in the September 14 recall election and showing Elder leading the pack among the candidates in the running.
For months, Newsom has criticized the recall effort as the work of far-right supporters of former President Trump and a Republican Party determined to undermine his election in 2018, avoiding personal attacks on candidates in hope to take its place in Sacramento.
But in a Zoom call with volunteers working on his anti-recall campaign, Newsom denounced Elder, calling him a big supporter of Trump – a rallying cry in a state won overwhelmingly by President Biden in the presidential election of 2020. Newsom also accused Elder of being a threat to abortion rights established under the landmark Roe v Wade decision of the United States Supreme Court in 1973.
“Leading candidate thinks climate change is a hoax, thinks we need more offshore oil drilling, more fracking, don’t think a woman has the right to choose [and] actually spoke out against Roe v. Wade doesn’t believe in a minimum wage, ”Newsom said.
Elder has rocked the recall campaign since taking the field, both in the polls and in the enthusiasm of GOP donors. The self-proclaimed “Sage from South Central” said conservatives such as radio host Dennis Prager persuaded him to come forward because of his positions on the challenges facing California and because of the grassroots. built-in support for Elder’s long-standing radio audience.
A spokeswoman for the Elder campaign accused Newsom of “going after” the Republican candidate because he realizes his political career is at stake.
“Gavin Newsom is scared. He cannot defend his horrific record of crime, homelessness, rising cost of living, water scarcity, runaway wildfires and tyrannical COVID closures, ”the door said. – Ying Ma spoke in an e-mail. “Larry believes in the freedom, personal responsibility, private enterprise and ingenuity of the Californian people, not Newsom’s repressive executive orders or the cronyism of his allies.”
Elder has raised over $ 1.2 million since entering the race in mid-July, eclipsing other top GOP contenders including reality TV star and retired Olympian Caitlyn Jenner, the former Northern California Representative Doug Ose and Assembly Member Kevin Kiley (R-Rocklin). Former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faluconer, another Republican, beat Elder by raising $ 3.4 million in his campaign accounts, but did so over several months.
Newsom on Thursday slammed Elder for his recent comments to the Sacramento Bee and the San Jose Mercury News in which he said the ideal minimum wage in California would be $ 0.00.
“I’m not making this up – Zero. I mean he doesn’t even discuss the pros or cons of $ 15 [an hour]”Newsom told his supporters.
Newsom also warned that, if recalled, any Republican who took his place would have the power to reshape the state’s justice system and would have political allies such as Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield).
Californians voting in the September 14 election will receive a ballot with two questions: Should Newsom be removed from office and, if ousted, which replacement candidate should take his place.
If Newsom is recalled, the candidate on the ballot that receives the most votes wins, regardless of the number of votes he receives. The crowded field of candidates is expected to divide the electorate, meaning that a Republican who gets only a small fraction of the vote could become California’s 41st governor. No Republican has won a statewide election since 2006.
A recent poll by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times found that Californians who say they expect to vote in recall elections are almost equally divided over whether to remove Newsom from office. Although Democratic voters by far outnumber Republicans in California, the GOP’s enthusiasm over the recall promises to boost the power of the anti-Newsom vote in September, according to poll director Mark DiCamillo.
Newsom said so during Thursday’s Zoom call for volunteers.
“At the end of the day, it’s all about participation,” Newsom said. “They can turn out in record numbers. But there are more of us, which means more who believe like us – including many Republicans who simply reject Trump and Trumpism. “
Newsom told volunteers not to underestimate the damage a Republican governor could cause in California, saying he did not want the state to follow policies similar to those of Republican governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, and “collapses”.
DiSantis’ national profile has increased in large part due to his support for Trump and his response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has resisted restrictions to stop the spread of the coronavirus. The governor of Florida has banned school mask warrants, a ban that remains in place despite a significant increase in cases caused by the highly contagious Delta variant.
[ad_2]
Source link