California Recall Heads into Final Stretch

The recall election of California Gov. Gavin Newsom will be decided tomorrow. Polling suggests he will keep his job while top opponent Larry Elder has a bone to pick with the media.

Summary

Tomorrow’s California recall vote will decide whether the state’s voters fire Gov. Gavin Newsom and pick a new governor, which would be considered a “political earthquake.”

• The final days of the campaign saw accusations and attacks between Newsom and the leading Republican candidate Larry Elder, as well as Elder’s belief of a double standard in media coverage of his campaign. 
• Actress Rose McGowan, who accused Newsom’s wife of trying to stop McGowan from going public with allegations of Harvey Weinstein’s sexual misconduct, made an appearance at a campaign stop with Elder. 
• A late surge of support in polling suggests Gov. Newsom will hold on to the governorship. 
• Key to that support is an apparent wide gender gap, with women coming to Newsom’s rescue.

• CNN’s election data guru Harry Enten analyzed the numbers, saying Republicans pushing the recall have lost considerable ground over the last month according to polling. 
• Newsweek covered actor and conservative Jon Voight’s endorsement of Larry Elder, highlighting Voight’s attacks on Gov Newsom’s vaccine mandates. 
• New York Magazine glowingly profiled Newsom in their coverage of the recall election, highlighting Newsom’s attacks on Elder and Newsom’s “plastered-back hair, absurdly well-tailored suits, and catalogue-quality sleeve rolls”.

• Fox News connected the recall election to California’s business climate, highlighting several large companies that left California since Newsom took office while Newsom warns Elder could turn California into Texas. Many of the firms fleeing California are moving to Texas. 
• In the last days of the recall election, The Federalist is pointing to Gov. Newsom’s gutting of the state wildfire prevention fund while two “massive wildfires within 150 miles of each other.” 
• RedState highlighted the growing anger with Newsom over his handling of wildfires and his refusal to answer any questions, posing a rather wild conspiracy theory that “more people displaced (due to wildfires), fewer people who can vote him out of office.”

Author’s Take

New York Magazine and RedState’s coverage are two sides of the same gross, hyper-partisan coin. The fawning over Newsome as a pseudo-style icon while having to battle what the Los Angeles Times calls “the black face of white supremacy” is no better than RedState positing the notion that Newsom is letting the state burn so he can prevent those who may be dissatisfied with him from voting.  Both outlets need to do better.

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© Dallas Gerber, 2021