Californians May Have Lost On Recall, But The War On Newsom Isn’t Over – The Federalist

LOS ANGELES, Calif. Frustrated California voters may have lost the battle to recall Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sept. 14, but the war to unseat him in 2022 is just beginning.

Multiple outlets officially called the referendum on removing the governor a failure on Tuesday night, less than one hour after polls closed. Some California residents were stunned, but others said they are determined to use the power they amassed to create the recall to keep fighting to hold the governor accountable for his tyranny.

The movement or the feeling on here was a very strong one of disenfranchisement, and the recall movement reignited or theres been a resurgence of people who just got up and said Yeah, we can do something, Chairman of the Conservative Party of California Jon Matthews said.

Los Angeles GOP executive board member Julie Haff told The Federalist that even though results indicate the governor will keep his seat, Newsoms trust in his track record clearly faltered in a way passionate voters can still use.

If he was so confident in the job that hes doing, why did he need to have millions and millions of dollars spent on this? Why does he have to have [President Joe] Biden, [Vice President Kamala] Harris, and others come in and help rally for him? He should be able to stand the job hes doing and feel confident with the job hes doing, Haff said. Hes not talking about the job hes doing, hes talking about the Republicans. I dont think hes doing a good job and obviously, there are millions of other Californians that dont feel like hes doing a good job, because why would we be here today?

Newsom and his national Democrat cronies framed the recall as a shallow effort by Republicans who are still operating under Trumpism. During a rally to keep Newsom in office in Long Beach, Biden compared leading Republican candidate Larry Elder to Trump.

Im gonna make this as simple as I can: You either keep Gavin Newsom as your governor or youll get Donald Trump. Its not a joke.

On election day, Newsom, who outraised his gubernatorial opponents by millions, lamented how the GOP is literally trying to dismantle democracy.

They are quite literally trying to dismantle democracy and trust in this country Ill accept the will of the voters no matter what it is. Period, full-stop, the governor said.

The Democrat governor repeated these talking points in his victory speech on Tuesday, which came less than one hour after polls on the West Coast closed.

Just in the last few days, the former president put out, saying this election was rigged. Democracy is not a football. You dont throw it around we may have defeated Trump, but Trumpism is not dead in this country, Newsom said

Pinning the recall on partisanship instead of the real issues plaguing Californians such as homelessness, crime, wildfires, and overbearing COVID restrictions, Haff said, not only insults voters but overlooks the diversity behind the recall movement.

I know a lot of friends and people that I know are independent and we even have some people that have called our office and they said Where do I sign up to be a volunteer? Im an independent but I dont like the direction that California is going in and its not the state I recognize, Haff said. This is a nonpartisan recall.

Matthews, who moved to California in 1959, said the state has changed and its up to voters to change it back.

It was the most Republican state in the union when I moved out here, and it has turned into the exact opposite, he said. And its only because of the apathy that has settled in so many voters. Were still a pretty conservative state, its just those people arent voting and theyre not doing anything because theyve just kind of given up. And so were just hoping that if we can maintain them or the morale and keep the movement going and keep building on it that perhaps by next year when the governors election comes up that we can make a mark.

Elder is clearly a fan favorite among Californians hoping to unseat Newsom. The states passion for the Republican broadcaster, Matthews said, should be harnessed for the 2022 gubernatorial election.

If we can get the governor and get the secretary of state out, those are the only two people we need to change in California to turn things around, Matthews said.

Jordan Davidson is a staff writer at The Federalist. She graduated from Baylor University where she majored in political science and minored in journalism.

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Californians May Have Lost On Recall, But The War On Newsom Isn't Over - The Federalist