Newsom’s efforts to fight back + National Dems back Newsom + NARAL endorses Weber
Good morning and happy April, dear readers!
NEWSOM SEEKS TO BRAND RECALL EFFORT AS REPUBLICAN-LED
Via Sophia Bollag...
Gov. Gavin Newsom is pulling out all the stops to paint the people trying to recall him as conservative Republicans.
He’s run ads on Facebook that say the effort is all about “riling up that Trump base.”
He’s emailing donors saying “anti-maskers, anti-vaxxers, and notably, some of Trump’s biggest donors” are pushing the recall.
He’s sending supporters bumper stickers that say “Stop the Republican Recall,” the official name of his campaign.
Although some Democrats and independents do support a recall, Newsom’s frame is based in truth – the effort is run and funded mostly by Republicans, and Republicans provided most of the signatures to qualify the measure for the ballot. Experts say Newsom’s messaging might alienate some Democrats and independents on the fence about removing him from office. But they also say it’s his best chance to defeat the recall in a largely blue state.
“It’s a smart tactic to define it that way,” said Steve Maviglio, a Democratic strategist who worked for former Gov. Gray Davis when he was recalled in 2003. “That’s the most effective way of shooting this down.”
The recall movement’s most visible leaders are conservative. So are most of its biggest donors. Major GOP groups including the Republican Governors Association and prominent national Republicans including former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich are backing the movement.
According to recall proponents, about two-thirds of people who signed the recall petition are Republicans.
“If you look at literally who’s behind it and where the money’s coming from, it’s legit,” Maviglio said of Democrats’ effort to brand the recall as Republican. “That said, a lot of Democrats signed that petition.”
NATIONAL DEMOCRATS CONTINUE TO DEFEND NEWSOM
Via Lara Korte...
As Californians wait for elections officials to verify the 2.1 million signatures submitted by recall proponents, national Democrats are continuing to offer their support to Gov. Gavin Newsom.
New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker made his own plea in a fundraising email this week, asking donors to chip in $3 to help Newsom defeat the “partisan Republican recall attempt in California.”
“Gavin Newsom has made some tough calls during the pandemic to keep Californians safe. He has given people hope. He has turned his care and concern into real action and he has delivered results” Booker’s fundraising email read. “Defeating this cynical, Trump-fueled recall effort is one of the most important priorities for Democrats this year....”
Meanwhile, former Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the only governor ever elected to office through a successful recall, weighed in on the Newsom recall in an interview with Politico.
Not only does Schwarzenegger see the same political atmosphere brewing in 2021 as in 2003, but he also threw cold water on the Newsom camp’s idea that this recall is a partisan Republican ploy.
“It’s ludicrous — the Republican Party doesn’t exist. These are the signatures of the ordinary folks that have signed on,” he told Politico. “People are dissatisfied. (The recall is) the people’s way of kind of letting off some steam and then they decide: Do we want to follow through or not follow through?”
NARAL ENDORSES WEBER
Dr. Akilah Weber, daughter of Secretary of State Shirley Weber, has racked up another endorsement in her bid to run for her mother’s old Assembly seat.
NARAL Pro-Choice California announced Wednesday that it is endorsing Weber.
“Dr. Akilah Weber is a true champion for reproductive freedom who has devoted her career to closing the gap in access to high-quality reproductive healthcare, particularly for women of color,” Director Shannon Olivieri Hovis said in a statement. “NARAL Pro-Choice California is proud to endorse Dr. Weber. We trust her to fight alongside our members to increase access to care, and we look forward to working with her to advance reproductive freedom for all Californians.”
Dr. Weber is a board-certified OB-GYN who currently oversees the Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology Division at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego.
“I became a doctor, and specifically an OB-GYN, because I wanted to help the most vulnerable in society, and I believe that improving women’s health is a keystone for reducing structural inequality. NARAL is and always has been a leader in standing up for our rights, and it means a great deal to me to have NARAL’s support in this campaign,” Weber said in a statement.
The primary election for Assembly District No. 79 is coming up — it falls on April 6.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Watching George Floyd murderer’s trial is tough. The testimony is heartbreaking. THIS DID NOT HAVE TO HAPPEN!”
- Sen. Steven Bradford, D-Gardena, via Twitter.
Best of the Bee:
A state law taking effect Thursday requires hospitals to have at least a three-month supply of gowns, masks, respirators and other PPE on hand. AB 2537, sponsored by the California Nurses Association, says hospitals can be fined $25,000 for violations, via Dale Kasler.
A new poll released on Tuesday suggests the vast majority of Californians regardless of political party support a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, via Kim Bojórquez.
Nearly 20 Democratic legislators on Tuesday introduced a bill to establish a statewide public banking program, which would partner with private sector financial institutions to provide low-income workers with access to no-fee money transactions and debit cards, via Jeong Park.