Newsom’s closing argument: It’s about Trump + Do voters approve of Newsom’s COVID strategy?

Good morning, it’s election day in California! Welcome to the A.M. Alert!

BIDEN WARNS CALIFORNIA NOT TO VOTE FOR ‘TRUMP CLONE’

Via Lara Korte...

Today is the last day for Californians to vote whether to remove Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Even though recent polls predict Newsom winning the recall by double digits, the governor spent the last day of the campaign trying to convince voters he should not be removed.

And he had some help making his case.

President Joe Biden chose Monday for his first presidential visit to California. Before traveling to Long Beach to campaign for Newsom, Biden stopped in Sacramento to visit the Office of Emergency Services and got a briefing on the Caldor Fire.

Biden spoke about the importance of combating climate change before walking through the packed crowd at OES, shaking hands, petting a service dog named Deuce, and singing happy birthday to an employee. In his formal remarks, he praised Newsom for his wildfire efforts.

Upon arriving in Long Beach, Biden was greeted by a friendly crowd chanting “JOE... JOE... JOE....JOE....”

The president spoke forcefully against the Republican recall front runner Larry Elder, likening him to a “clone” of former President Donald Trump. He slammed Elder for his views on a $0 minimum wage, for calling climate change a “crock,” and for his anti-abortion comments.

“I can’t believe this guy. There shouldn’t be a minimum wage?. ...Working people have taken it on the chin too long... if you’re working a 40 hour week, you shouldn’t be living in poverty,” the president said.

“I’m going to make this as simple as I can, you either keep Gavin Newsom as your governor or you’ll get Donald Trump. It’s not a joke,“ Biden said. “In Gavin, you have a governor who shares the state’s values, in Gavin you have a governor to make sure Donald Trump’s dark, destructive, divisive politics never finds a place in California.”

Newsom, who spoke before Biden, also framed the race as a referendum on the former Republican president, who lost California by roughly 5 million votes last year.

“We may have defeated Donald Trump, but we have not defeated Trumpism,” Newsom said. “Trumpism is still on the ballot in California.”

Elder, meanwhile, speaking to a crowd in Costa Mesa, continued to muddy the waters about whether he’ll accept the outcomes of the election.

“I’ve been asked all day, will you accept the results of the election?” he said. “I said you’re asking the wrong question: Will Gavin Newsom accept the results of the election when he loses?”

CALIFORNIANS APPROVE OF NEWSOM’S COVID STRATEGY

Newsom’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic provided fuel for the recall effort when some Californians railed against stay-at-home and mask orders. A majority of California likely voters, though, say Newsom is doing a good job in responding to the pandemic, according to a blog post from the Public Policy Institute of California.

The PPIC surveyed likely voters and found that 58% of them approve of the job Newsom has done in battling the pandemic. That includes some likely voters who don’t generally approve of Newsom’s performance (53% said Newsom is doing a good job overall).

President Biden gets even higher marks from California voters, with 66% of likely voters saying they approve of how Biden has handled the pandemic and 58% of likely voters saying they approve of the overall job that Biden has done.

Biden’s numbers are down though from when PPIC surveyed likely voters in May. Back then, 75% approved of Biden’s COVID response and 66% approved of his job performance.

TODAY IS THE DAY, GET OUT AND VOTE!

OK, this is it. For real this time. Today is your absolute last chance to vote in the California recall election and determine whether Gov. Newsom gets to keep his job.

So for all you procrastinators out there, here’s a guide I put together that will help you do your civic duty and vote. Be sure to check out our voter’s guide, and if you need help making a decision on how to vote The Sacramento Bee Editorial Board is here to help.

You can look forward to aggressive coverage of the recall election by the Capitol Bureau on Tuesday, and I’ll be working late Tuesday, early Wednesday to bring you the latest election results when you wake up on Wednesday morning.

If you’re the Twitter type, be sure to give the Capitol Alert Twitter account a follow if you haven’t already; you should also follow Sophia Bollag, Lara Korte, Hannah Wiley and myself!

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“These fires are blinking code red for our nation.”

- President Joe Biden after touring damage caused by the Caldor fire.

Best of the Bee:

• When will we know who won the California recall election? What to expect on election night, via Lara Korte

• Mixing policy with politics on his first California visit since taking office, President Joe Biden flew to Sacramento on Monday for a tour of wildfire-ravaged El Dorado County before heading south to campaign with Gov. Gavin Newsom against the gubernatorial recall election, via Lara Korte and Dale Kasler.

• President Joe Biden is visiting Sacramento on Monday for his first time in office to view wildfire damage in the region, after stopping in Long Beach to appear with Gov. Gavin Newsom on the day before California’s recall election. Here’s a look at past presidential visits to the Sacramento region, via Nathaniel Levine.