Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom is locking down certain regions of the state in response to increasing COVID-19 cases. But, a growing number of Californians are pushing back by signing a petition to recall Newsom, Fox News reports.
Organizers of the campaign to recall Newsom told Fox News they’ve gathered more than half the number of signatures required to put the measure on the ballot.
An effort to recall Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom is gaining steam. Recall organizers say they have collected more than half the nearly 1.5 million petition signatures needed to place the recall on the ballot, and they have until March to reach the threshold. https://t.co/YkLOiuxZdL pic.twitter.com/2cAvmrxoBN
— CBS Los Angeles (@CBSLA) December 14, 2020
In total, the recall campaign needs around 1.5 million signatures by mid-March of 2021, according to the recall campaigns website.
If the recall campaign meets the threshold of signatures needed, California would hold a special election in the middle of 2021, according to Fox News.
Randy Economy, a senior adviser to the recall Gavin Newsom 2020 official campaign, says the recall effort has garnered nearly 850,000 signatures as of Monday, according to Fox News. At this pace, Economy says the campaign hopes to have enough signatures by some time in January. (RELATED: Here Are Some Of The Politicians Who Have Been Caught Violating Their Own Coronavirus Rules Before Thanksgiving)
Good. Want to make @GavinNewsom more nervous? If you are a CA voter, any party, download the petition at https://t.co/anrkKzQdkl — we are more than halfway there with the signatures but only have weeks to get several hundred thousand more. We can do it! https://t.co/oF8jp6lcdZ
— *Doctor* Harmeet K. Dhillon (@pnjaban) December 11, 2020
“[Newsom] put corporate interests before the people of California,” Economy told Fox News in response to Newsom’s coronavirus response because of the impact it has had on small businesses in the state.
If the recall campaign reaches critical mass, Newsom will have to defend his record of handling the coronavirus against new challengers. Newsom recently had to apologize for breaking his own coronavirus restrictions after he faced harsh criticism for dining indoors.