Former State Secretary Hillary Clinton made a surprising move on Tuesday.

Clinton, an unpopular and divisive politician, decided to intervene in the California recall election of Gov. Gavin Newsom. She tweeted her support for Newsom’s election today — or, at least, one of her interns tweeted some support.

Clinton’s account tweeted, “Californians — don’t sit out today’s recall election. Vote NO on Question 1 to retain Gavin Newsom as governor and prevent a dangerous Trump follower from taking leadership of your state.” Make your voice heard by mail (postmarked by today) or in person.”

She also included a link to the website of California’s State Department, which contains information about deadlines, polling places, and ballot tracking.

Clinton sent the tweet on Sept. 14, the day of in-person voting. She has become the latest high-profile Democrat to endorse Newsom.

The day beforehand, President Biden joined Newsom for a rally in Long Beach. Last week, Vice President Kamala Harris — like Hillary, an increasingly unpopular politician — appeared with Newsom in Alameda County, near her hometown. Then, former President Barack Obama endorsed Newsom in a TV ad.

High-profile Democrats are suddenly pouring in a ton of resources after ignoring the race for several months.

Californians—don't sit out today's recall election.

Vote NO on Question 1 to retain Gavin Newsom as governor and prevent a dangerous Trump follower from taking leadership of your state.

Make your voice heard by mail (postmarked by today) or in person. https://t.co/bd7Z2rWVhx

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) September 14, 2021

Clinton mentioned a “dangerous Trump follower.” She was probably referring to Larry Elder, the leading Republican candidate for the recall.

Elder, like Trump, has built a reputation as a media personality. He hosts The Larry Elder Show, a conservative talk show in national syndication on AM radio.

Outside the radio, Elder has worked as an author, a lawyer, a television host, and an op-ed columnist. In 2010 he considered running against California’s incumbent Sen. Barbara Boxer, Roll Call reported. Now he’s running for governor, in his first attempt at elected office.

California allows voting by mail, and the state has mailed out 22 million ballots. As of Tuesday morning, the state has received only 8.7 million completed ballots — 39 percent of the total. The State Department requires the ballots to be postmarked on or before Tuesday. Then, it needs to receive and count the ballots.

So, for the next several days, the state may remain unable to confirm the results of the election.

However, California still allows in-person voting. The polls close at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 14.

 

 

See more: “California’s recall election, explined”

The Horn editorial team