Gavin Newsom faces new recall effort from conservative activists

A group of California conservative activists launched a recall bid against Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) Monday, the fifth attempt to kick him out of office. 

“Governor Newsom has abandoned the state to advance his Presidential ambitions, leaving behind a $68 Billion budget deficit and a public safety, immigration and education crisis,” organizers with Rescue California wrote on their site.

Rescue California is the same group that helped organize a 2021 recall effort against Newsom. The governor easily defeated the recall at the ballot box by a 21-point margin over conservative radio host Larry Elder.

Despite falling short in 2021, the group is committed to sending Newsom packing in their second attempt. 

“He has weakened himself,” Campaign manager Anne Dunsmore told The Hill. “He’s spread himself too thin.” 

Dunsmore said the group has learned lessons from its 2021 effort, including working more closely with legal counsel and eschewing paid petition solicitors.

“These were citizens working through a political qualification process,” she said.

She added that the group has received over 1,000 requests to become petition solicitors since the effort launched Monday morning, and over 100 contributions. 

Dunsmore called on interested candidates to get ready to run now, referring to struggles faced by candidates in the 2021 effort who dealt with little time to campaign.

“Right now, people should be preparing to run for governor,” she said. “The volunteers, they won’t forget.”

The recall effort was quickly denounced by Newsom and Democrats, who shrugged it off as a political waste of time led by supporters of former President Trump.

The governor has raised his profile in recent months, becoming a key surrogate for President Biden’s reelection campaign amid speculation that he could one day mount a future White House bid.

Rescue California is the same group that led a 2021 recall effort that acquired enough signatures to head to a vote. Newsom easily defeated the recall at the ballot box by a 23-point margin over conservative radio host Larry Elder.

Despite falling short in 2021, the group is committed to sending Newsom packing in its second attempt. 

“We did it before. We will do it again,” the group wrote in a Facebook post Monday.

The effort was quickly denounced by Newsom and Democrats, who shrugged it off as a political waste of time led by supporters of former President Trump.

“Trump Republicans are launching another wasteful recall campaign to distract us from the existential fight for democracy and reproductive freedom,” Newsom wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “We will defeat them.”

Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) also piled on against the organizers.

“The same MAGA Republicans who tried to recall Gavin Newsom are at it again playing political games,” he wrote on X. “With CA leading the fight on everything from climate action to abortion access, and even the future of our democracy, Governor Newsom won’t be distracted by partisan attacks.”

The group needs about 1.38 million verified signatures by May in order to qualify for the November ballot, according to state law.

This story was updated at 6:17 p.m.