For several months, California Republicans have been planning to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom and have gathered all the signatures needed to hold an election. At some point, a recall election became almost inevitable.
For a long time, Democratic leadership has ignored the voters rallying against Newsom.
Not anymore.
Vice President Kamala Harris has had a favor called in. She intends to leave Washington, D.C. to campaign for Newsom, according to a report from The San Francisco Chronicle.
“The former California Senator, attorney general, San Francisco district attorney and longtime ally of Newsom answered a question from The Chronicle in the affirmative as she was leaving the Capitol, turning back to ensure her ‘yes’ was audible,” Tal Kopan reported in The Chronicle.
The Biden administration has already been voicing support for Newsom. President Joe Biden has issued a formal statement backing the besieged governor, and White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was tweeting her support as early as February.
Still, Harris is taking that support to the next level by promising to campaign for him.
It remains to be seen whether Harris can help Newsom’s cause. She has been polling very poorly among registered voters. As of Aug. 10, she was viewed unfavorably by most Americans, according to a Fox News poll.
Harris plans to travel to California next week, after her trip to Southeast Asia. She has yet to share further details.
This announcement has made Harris into Newsom’s most visible surrogate. Only last month, Democrats seemed to be dismissing any concerns about Newsom’s possible recall. To some extent, Newsom himself was dismissing these concerns, too. He missed the formal deadline for selecting his party preference.
Now, Newsom appears to be taking the recall election more seriously. He campaigned for Harris during her 2020 run for president, and now he seems to be calling in the favor.
Some Democrats have become worried about Newsom’s chances in the recall election. Newsom remains popular with the far-left, but he will not appear on the ballot as a Democrat. Newsom is running outside the party, and so he may find himself at a disadvantage in deep-blue California.
Plus, some Democrats worry about the timing of the election. Special elections tend to yield low, unrepresentative turnout, and so it can be difficult to predict the result.
The election will take place on Sept. 14.
The Horn editorial team