The California Gubernatorial Recall: A Race to the Bottom
Now that the Republican party has settled on making loyalty to Trump and opposition 'just because' their only standards, its California gubernatorial candidates are facing some tough sledding.
There’s new political polling in the Golden State to report on, and it would appear that Rancho Santa Fe businessman John Cox has latched on to a winning idea. Or should I say less-losing?
The latest SurveyUSA polling, taken over last weekend, has Cox in third place (9%) when voters were asked about their preferences for a replacement Governor, should Newsom be recalled. “Would not support any” (38%) and “undecided” (26%) led the pack.
San Diego’s feckless former Mayor Kevin Faulconer was only preferred by 3% of those polled, trailing Richard Grenell (5%) and Caitlyn Jenner (5%).
If the polling is accurate, the GOP’s race to remain relevant isn’t working, since the notion of recalling Gov. Gavin Newsom appeals to only 36% of registered voters.
The rollout of Cox’ Beauty and the Beast campaign certainly won the day as far as press coverage is concerned on Wednesday. A supposedly serious candidate for Governor who’s never won an election dumped an additional $5 million of his own personal fortune into an ad campaign and personal appearances featuring a rented 1000 pound Alaska Kodiak bear.
Incumbent Governor Newsom is the “beauty,” presumably because of his good looks and cool-guy image. Cox is da Beast, because he’s apparently more manly, and testosterone is what his advisors think is the cure for an ailing California.
From the Washington Post:
Cox, a San Diego businessman, summoned reporters Tuesday to Miller Regional Park in Sacramento for his unusual campaign launch. Cox, who lost handily to Newsom in 2018, stood behind a red-and-green bus reading “Meet the Beast,” along with a picture of a Kodiak bear.
Feet away from him, separated by security strings, sat Tag, the bear he rented for a few thousand dollars, Cox said. “California can be a beautiful state once again, but that means we need to recall our pretty-boy governor Gavin Newsom,” Cox told reporters.
As political consultant Mike Madrid pointed out, using an Alaskan bear was the perfect metaphor for the Cox campaign, given that the California Grizzly has been extinct since 1924.
The circus-like nature of the Cox campaign stunt wasn’t lost on animal rights groups and their supporters.
Sen. Ben Hueso, D-San Diego, expressed outrage at the stunt. “I was disappointed and appalled to see gubernatorial hopeful John Cox parade a live bear to his press conference in Sacramento today,” said Hueso.
“Two years ago I introduced SB 313, which was signed into law and bans the use of wild animals in circuses. While the letter of the law pertained to circuses, the spirit of the law protected animals, such as Kodiak bears, from being used in events as props, such as Mr. Cox’s publicity stunt,” the senator continued.
There are a million other things wrong with this campaign stunt, not the least of which is the candidate’s obvious ignorance of the storyline being referenced and an important movie references as noted by letter writer Bob Ladendorf in the Los Angeles Times:
As he continues his goofy “Beauty or the Beast” campaign — with Newsom cast as the “beauty” and Cox the “beast” — Cox should remember the last line in the original “King Kong” movie: “It was beauty that killed the beast.”
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Candidate Caitlyn Jenner took a more traditional path to campaigning yesterday, with an appearance on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show.
Given the most potentially beneficial platform, Jenner still managed to step in it.
https://twitter.com/msolurin/status/1390120426018385923?s=20
Her friends are moving their million dollar airplane hangers to Arizona… for shame!
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Kevin Faulconer, according to a story in the Union-Tribune is playing it safe:
Not in the headlines was Kevin Faulconer, whose campaign describes him as the “leading candidate” to replace Newsom should the Democratic incumbent be voted out of office in the fall.
The former San Diego mayor wasn’t laying low amid the attention-getting news, however. On Tuesday, his campaign highlighted Faulconer’s “media blitz,” which mostly consisted of interviews with conservative news outlets — where he has maintained a regular presence since officially announcing his bid for governor on Feb. 1.
On Saturday, he appeared on CNN.
Significantly, he has been interviewed on Spanish-language stations and his campaign has issued news releases written in Spanish. Republicans driving the recall operation sense some weakness for Newsom among Latino voters and are hoping to capitalize.
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The recall election will most likely take place in the fall.
A statewide virtual convention for California Democrats last week provided plenty of evidence that Newsom’s party has his back.
Here’s Ben Christopher at CalMatters:
The Newsom cheerleading was loudest during the headline speeches today. It was a lineup designed to remind Democrats of the people and constituencies who have the governor’s back. There were national party leaders including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Kamala Harris, both Californians, and progressive heroes like Sunrise Movement Executive Director Varshini Prakash and U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee of Oakland.
“Gavin’s proactive measures and leadership save lives,” Lee said. “That’s why Governor Newsom has my unequivocal support and why we will and must defeat this right-wing driven recall.”
The lineup of speakers also showed off some of Newsom’s most politically notable achievements since becoming governor in 2019: Alex Padilla, California’s first Latino U.S. senator; Attorney General Rob Bonta, the state’s first Asian American top cop; and Secretary of State Shirley Weber, the first woman and Black person to hold that position. All three were appointed by Newsom.
The only real danger to Gov. Newsom's tenure is likely to be voter apathy. It’s going to be hard to overcome the perception that there’s a circus going on with the GOP that voters don’t need to be concerned about.
No matter that this is California; given that the insurrectionists have taken over the GOP it’s important to see them lose by huge margins everywhere. Like it or not, the political system in this country is rigged to favor only two parties. This one must wither away before another can emerge; hopefully a coalition of people who still value the concept of Democracy.
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https://twitter.com/BriannaWu/status/1390098067010068488?s=20
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