President Joe Biden urges Californians to keep Gavin Newsom in office, reject recall

President Joe Biden on Thursday urged Californians to vote no in the upcoming election to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom in a show of support for the embattled Democratic governor.

In a statement released by Newsom’s campaign, Biden highlighted Newsom’s policies on climate change, women’s rights, immigrants and the LGBTQ community, and credited Newsom as a “key partner” on the White House’s policy agenda.

“Governor Newsom is leading California through unprecedented crises. He is a key partner in fighting the pandemic and delivering economic relief to working families and helping us build our economy back better than ever,” Biden said. “Registered California voters should vote no on the recall election by September 14 and keep California moving forward.”

It’s no surprise the Democratic president is supporting Newsom against the recall. White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said he opposed the effort to remove Newsom from office in February, but Biden’s new statement signals the national Democratic Party is getting more involved in the California election.

The statement comes as ballots are starting to arrive in Californians’ mailboxes and Newsom is ramping up his campaign. Newsom plans to kick off his first official campaign tour with an event Friday morning in San Francisco, followed by events Saturday in Los Angeles and San Diego.

This story was originally published August 12, 2021 at 6:15 PM.