“Voters eighteen to twenty-nine wanted Newsom recalled 54% to 46%, and Independents favored the recall 55% to 45%.”
California voted yesterday to keep Governor Gavin Newsom in power 63.9% to 36.1% as of this writing. Among those who favored a recall, conservative African American talk radio show host Larry Elder came in first place with 46.9% of the vote. Millennial real estate developer and YouTube personality Kevin Paffrath, running as a Democrat with a blend of populist and libertarian positions, came in second with 9.8% of the vote.
While Newsom’s victory is being heralded as a rebuttal to critics of the ridged coronavirus restrictions, rising crime and poverty rates, dire housing crisis, and reckless spending, the fact that over 3.2 million Californians desperately want new leadership should be troubling to Democrats ahead of the mid-terms.
“The fact that over 3.2 million Californians desperately want new leadership should be troubling to Democrats ahead of the mid-terms.”
Exit polls show the recall election fell along party lines, with a majority of Democrats —who make up over 40% of voters in the state — voting ‘no’ on the recall and a majority of Republicans — who make up just a quarter of voters — voting ‘yes’. Independents, who make up roughly a third of the state, were split.
Pre-election polling that delves into more detail shows young people (many of whom favor millennial populist Paffrath), and Independents, are strongly represented in the ‘yes’ recall camp.
“Pre-election polling that delves into more detail shows young people (many of whom favored millennial populist Paffrath), and Independents, were strongly represented in the ‘yes’ recall camp.”
Polling conducted in late August by YouGov shows voters eighteen to twenty-nine wanted Newsom recalled 54% to 46%. The desire to recall Newsom declines with age up until sixty-five and up, with thirty- to forty-four-year-olds opposing the recall 57% to 43%, forty-five- to sixty-four-year-olds opposing the recall 60% to 40%, and voters sixty-five and up opposing the recall 57% to 43%.
“Voters eighteen to twenty-nine wanted Newsom recalled 54% to 46%.”
The same poll shows Independents wanted Newsom replaced 55% to 45%. Although majorities of all race groups opposed the recall, the numbers for Hispanics and Asians were close. Almost half of Hispanics (47%) favored the recall, while 53% opposed it, and 39% of Asians favored the recall, while 61% opposed it. Twenty-nine percent of Blacks favored the recall, while 71% opposed it.
“Independents wanted Newsom replaced 55% to 45%.”
The Public Policy Institute of California conducted a poll on statewide issues earlier this month and found that less than half the state (47%) says California is headed in the right direction. What’s more, 46% say the state is in a recession, with 37% saying California is in a moderate or very serious recession. The same poll finds President Biden’s approval rating has tumbled 12 points since the beginning of the year, from 70% in January to 58% in September.
“Less than half the state says California is headed in the right direction.”
The Newsom recall comes on the heels of what was already a growing pushback in the Golden State against rising illegal immigration, reckless spending, and an inability to combat crime and alleviate poverty.
Of the 13 House seats the GOP flipped in 2020, four are in California. The victors in those four races ran hard-hitting campaigns pushing back aggressively against exploitative taxes, a runaway budget, and a broken immigration system.
Californians also beat back two big-government measures in 2020, an attempt to force app-based companies like Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash to classify independent contractors as employees, and an attempt to force through legal discrimination based on race in the form of affirmative action.
The recall effort against Newsom had been brewing for years. Five different times Californians tried to unseat the former San Francisco mayor and far-left figurehead before enough signatures were gathered to proceed with a recall election.
In the midst of draconian lock-downs and mask mandates, a sputtering economy, rising crime and poverty, and the release of 76,000 felons from prison, some of whom were repeat and violent offenders, the recall effort successfully secured over 1.7 million signatures last year.
Still, the anti-recall effort was able to raise $83 million dollars to keep Newsom in office, close to twice the $45.2 million the recall group raised. Prominent donors intent on keeping Newsom in power include Netflix CEO Reed Hastings and globalist billionaire George Soros.
“Prominent donors intent on keeping Newsom in power include Netflix CEO Reed Hastings and globalist billionaire George Soros.”
Californians were unable to dislodge the well-funded progressive, but the steam behind the Newsom recall movement speaks to growing dissatisfaction with progressive rule among a sizeable number of Californians. Young people, Independents, and minorities in the state are particularly critical of the Democrat agenda.
