Confidence vote in California: Democratic stronghold in danger?


Status: 14.09.2021 3:10 a.m.

The Democratic US Governor Newsom faces a vote of confidence in California today. Should he be voted out, Republican candidates would have the chance for the important office in the very democratic California.

By Marcus Schuler, ARD Studio Los Angeles

The fact that there will be a recall at all, a good year before the regular gubernatorial elections, is due to a serious misstep by incumbent Gavin Newsom. It happened on November 6th last year. The next day, the TV news came thick and fast.

Newsom had attended a lobbyists’ birthday party at the luxury French Laundry restaurant in the Napa Valley wine region. Political journalist Scott Shafer from the KQED radio station in San Francisco tells im ARD interview.

The wine bill was $ 12,000. Somebody recorded the whole thing on video. At a time when Newsom was saying everyone had to stay home and wear a mask and isolate themselves. That was hypocritical and a grave mistake, and possibly the most expensive dinner of his life.

Right-hand radio host Larry Elder as an opponent

The evening turned into a PR disaster for the 53-year-old, who often appeared slick. Suddenly the referendum got the required number of signatures. Today, the Californians can decide whether Newsom has to step down early – and they have the option of choosing from 46 candidates. The right-wing radio host Larry Elder has the best chance if it is voted out. However, his statements about Covid are astonishing. “I don’t believe in science that young people should be vaccinated or wear masks in school.”

If more than 50 percent of voters vote for Newsom to be dismissed, the candidate with the most votes will succeed him – regardless of how many percent he gets. That would be tantamount to a political earthquake, says political journalist Shafer. Because Elder is at least as conservative as Donald Trump, if not more conservative.

Biden provides support

To ensure good weather for Newsom, even US President Joe Biden came to California yesterday. For days there have been commercials with ex-President Barack Obama on local TV channels. Because if Newsom should actually be voted out of office, that could in the worst case even significantly weaken the government of Biden in Washington.

Should Diane Feinstein, the oldest female senator in the Senate at 88, end her term prematurely, then the governor would have the right to fill the position. And Larry Elder said he would pick a Republican. That would change the current stalemate in the Senate in favor of the Republicans.

However, recent polls say Newsom could survive the recall. The reason is – ironically – the arch-conservative Larry Elder. For many Californians it goes way too far.



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