President Joe Biden will campaign for Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom in the California recall election, according to White House press secretary Jen Psaki.
“I can confirm the president does still plan to go and campaign for Governor Newsom in California. I don’t have a date for you at this point in time but that is still certainly his plan,” Psaki said in a press conference Wednesday.
Biden previously praised Newsom on Twitter for being “a key partner in fighting the pandemic” and for “helping build our economy back better.” Biden joins other key Democrats including Vice President Kamala Harris, who has also spoken out in favor of Newsom, The New York Post reported. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has also spoken in favor of Newsom.
Democrats have expressed concerns that voter turnout may be lower for the recall election than it was in Newsom’s 2018 election because former President Donald Trump is no longer in office. Newsom was originally elected with almost 62% of the vote but his handling of COVID-19 lockdowns have negatively impacted his popularity, according to The New York Post.
Newsom is facing strong competition from Republican candidate Larry Elder, a well-known conservative radio show host. Elder quickly became a frontrunner, with RCP and FiveThirtyEight both showing Elder with a +10 average margin lead. Elder has taken considerable criticism from media outlets. The Los Angeles Times published a piece entitled “Larry Elder is the black face of white supremacy. You’ve been warned,” as previously reported. (RELATED: Kamala Harris Promises To Campaign For Gavin Newsom Amid Recall Effort)
The recall election is set to take place Sept. 14.