Fact check: Will voting ‘yes’ on the California recall elect an ‘anti-vaccine Republican’?

Claim: A new ad from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s anti-recall campaign, released Monday, suggested a “yes” vote will elect an anti-vaccine governor.

The ad warns Californians that voting yes on the Sept. 14 recall “elects an anti-vaccine Trump Republican,” and shows an illustration of a red “cancel” symbol over the vaccine. The ad goes on to say that if Californians don’t vote, “we could have an anti-vax Republican governor of California.”

Ruling: Misleading

Details:

California has a long history of requiring vaccines for school children, and in recent years has eliminated personal belief as a valid reason to skip vaccines, as well as tightened requirements for medical exemptions. The measures, taken before the pandemic, were vehemently opposed by anti-vaccine groups and parents. One of the most prominent anti-vaccine groups in California, the Freedom Angels, are on a state law enforcement threat monitoring list alongside white nationalists and other far-right extremist coalitions.

In recent months, as the delta variant spread and COVID-19 cases began to rise again, California mandated the coronavirus vaccine for health care workers. State workers, teachers, and school staff are also required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or subject to at least weekly testing.

The leading Republican candidates in the recall race have pushed back against statewide COVID-19 vaccine mandates for any group. They oppose Gov. Gavin Newsom’s mandates for teachers and health care workers. But they are not inherently opposed to the shot. The leading Republicans in the race have all attested to receiving the vaccine themselves.

Here’s a closer look at leading candidates’ views on vaccine requirements:

Larry Elder

The leading Republican candidate and longtime radio talk show host told The Sacramento Bee’s editorial board in early August that he has received the COVID-19 vaccine.

“I have been vaccinated, I believe vaccines work. I’m an old man, I have comorbidities, I support people to get the vaccine,” he said in the interview.

But like many of his fellow Republican candidates, Elder says he would not impose a statewide vaccinate mandate, or a mask mandate for that matter.

“When I become governor, assuming there are still mandates for vaccines and mandates for face masks, they will be repealed before I have my first cup of tea,” Elder said to a Fresno crowd earlier this month.

He told the The Los Angeles Times editorial board that he does not think the state should mandate any kind of vaccines, including the ones usually required for kids entering elementary school.

“I don’t believe that the state should tell a parent whether or not a child should be vaccinated, I think that’s an intrusion of state power,” he said in the interview.

Elder has also flirted with the anti-vaccine movement, however. He invited vaccine conspiracy theorists to speak on his radio show, including a Texas gynecologist who, when calling into Elder’s show in July, falsely claimed the vaccine effort was part of a scheme by billionaire Bill Gates to control the population.

John Cox

The longtime businessman and former gubernatorial candidate has also attested to being vaccinated, along with the rest of his family. But Cox does not agree with California’s decision to mandate vaccine for certain groups or masks.

“I don’t think we should do mandates,” Cox said in the first debate in August. “I think the governor’s COVID management was an absolute disaster.”

Cox, who had the virus in early 2020, went on to say he believes people who already contracted COVID-19 have antibodies and don’t need to get vaccinated. Health officials recommend all people receive the vaccine to boost immune response.

At a subsequent debate, Cox said he “might” prevent local governments from imposing vaccine mandates.

Kevin Faulconer

The former mayor of San Diego has been vocal about encouraging Californians to get the vaccine. He received the vaccine along with his family, he said. Faulconer is also against mandates, and has said he wants to educate Californians on the safety and efficacy of the vaccine instead of forcing them to take it.

“I haven’t been in favor of mandates. What I have been in favor of is everyone getting a vaccine,” he said in a meeting with The Sacramento Bee’s editorial board. “We want to do everything we can to increase people’s trust.”

Kevin Kiley

The Rocklin assemblyman says he is vaccinated and has worked to educate his constituents on the benefits of the vaccine, but is also against any kind of vaccine mandate.

In April, he introduced a bill that would have prohibited state and local governments, as well as private entities that receive state funds, from requiring individuals to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of receiving any service or entering any place.

The bill never received a vote in the Democratic-dominated Legislature.

In a recent interview with CalMatters, Kiley said “bodily autonomy will be respected.”

Kiley, who has spent five years in the Legislature, voted against Senate Bill 276 in 2019, which tightened state requirements for medical exemptions from vaccinations.

This story was originally published August 30, 2021 at 3:04 PM.