California Governor Gavin Newsom Gears Up to Fight Recall Effort

Gavin Newsom says he's ready to fight a proposed recall effort that challenges his role as California governor.

Organizers behind the recall face a Wednesday deadline to submit nearly 1.5 million petition signatures to qualify the proposal for the ballot. Supporters say they have collected over 2 million, though hundreds of thousands remain unverified by election officials.

A months-long review gets underway to determine if and when the election will get on the ballot. It could take until September to set an election date, if it qualifies.

The Democratic governor has seen his popularity tumble as public unrest spread over long-running school and business closures during the pandemic.

The announcement Monday that Newsom was beginning to raise money to defend his seat seemed to confirm that he believes organizers behind the recall have collected sufficient petition signatures to place the proposal on the ballot.

Newsom and his Democratic allies have cast the recall attempt as a politically driven power grab and in appearances on national news programs Monday and Tuesday, he tied the recall to extremist groups.

Wednesday marks the cutoff for organizers to submit signatures to county election officials, who have until April 29 to verify their authenticity and notify the secretary of state with the results.

However, given the various legal hoops that must be cleared, it could take until September before an election date is scheduled, which strategists on both sides expect to be set for later this fall, perhaps November.

Recall organizers believe the Newsom and leaders in the Democratic-run Legislature will do everything possible to delay the election, hoping that his fortunes turn as virus cases fall, vaccinations increase and schools and businesses reopen.

The fate of a potential recall election will be decided behind closed doors, where election officials across the state have spent months assessing the validity of petition signatures.

When questions arise about a signature, the benefit of the doubt falls to the voter. Political affiliation and race cannot be considered. An exact match is not required – "similar characteristics" in the writing are sufficient when comparing the petition signature with those in election records.

In trying to weed out a phony, reviewers can consider the slant of the writing and how letters are shaped and spaced. But they also must take into account possible explanations for any discrepancy.

So far, more than 80% of the signatures turned in have been validated.

But it's not just a matter of turning in petitions.

The recall proposal must move through time-consuming steps along the way, including giving voters a 30-day window to withdraw their names, if they choose. It's possible Democrats could launch a major advertising drive to urge them to do just that.

Dates have not been finalized, but the state Finance Department is expected to take 30 days to produce a cost estimate for the election. Democrats say it could surpass $80 million. Then, a legislative panel gets another month to review those findings.

Two Republicans have announced their candidacies: Kevin Faulconer, the former Republican mayor of San Diego, and Republican businessman John Cox, who was defeated by Newsom in 2018.

Another name being discussed in GOP circles is former President Donald Trump's then-acting director of national intelligence, Richard Grenell, who has not responded to requests for comment on a possible candidacy.

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