Over the weekend, recall organizers said they have gathered 1.2 million of the required 1.5 million signatures needed by March 17 to qualify for a ballot.
Per state law, petition sponsors have to gather the signatures of 12% of the voter turnout in California’s previous statewide election, which is around 1,495,709 names.
Rescue California, one of two central groups building the campaign, says they aim to get 2 million signatures to account for the fact that many of the signatures will surely prove invalid.
San Diego’s KUSI reported Saturday that California’s Secretary of State has approved 84% of the signatures gathered so far as valid.
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Rescue CA has raised $1.7 million dollars towards its goal of $2.5 million with over 9000 contributors, Dunsmore said on Good Morning San Diego.
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If the recall qualifies, Newsom would be forced to fend off rivals in the midst of a pandemic that has cost the state millions of jobs, cored government budgets and upended life for nearly 40 million residents.
This is the sixth recall effort the Democratic governor has met in two years. Once considered a pipe dream in the solidly blue state, this latest recall attempt gained traction in the last year due to growing discontent over the governor’s approach to the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the economy.
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"It's absolutely gaining traction. We're getting petitions from not only Republicans but from Democrats and Independents," John Cox, Newsom's 2018 Republican challenger who recently started an exploratory committee to challenge the governor again in 2022, explained last week. "This has just gone on too long -- the mismanagement that has accompanied this pandemic."
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Though, if he faces a recall, Newsom would have advantages. He would have no donation limits on his fundraising, opening the way for a record flood of cash to defend his seat. Democrats have a nearly 2-to-1 advantage in registered voters.
Public frustration rose in November when the governor was filmed at the upscale French Laundry restaurant in Napa amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
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Newsom met a lot of criticism on social media as well for the violations of his own rules.
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One Twitter user wrote: “It's clear now that the panic move of arbitrarily closing outdoor dining with zero proof that it was causing a spike in cases was baseless. All Newsom accomplished is to devastate local restaurants, put employees out of work for the holidays, and come across as a huge hypocrite.”
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