CALIFORNIA, USA — California's recall ballot is set, but GOP strategy isn't
California's recall ballot is finally set, but the state Republican party is still determining its best strategy for winning back the governor's office in one of the nation's most Democratic states.
Ballots for the Sept. 14 election that could remove Gov. Gavin Newsom from office will start arriving in voters' mailboxes next month.
The GOP has no clear front-runner, and party leaders will vote Saturday on whether to move forward with an endorsement process. That would send more resources to a single candidate but could risk alienating supporters of the others.
Meanwhile, Newsom has a giant fundraising edge.
Faulconer continues to attack Newsom on crime, gets non-profit endorsement
Former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer again took to Facebook to criticize Gov. Gavin Newsom on crime in California.
Faulconer again mentioned Newsom’s Wednesday press conference from LA on combatting crime and, more specifically, retail theft. He suggested Newsom’s policies have led to “skyrocketing” crime in California cities and “enabled” the Defund the Police movement, among other accusations.
He also shared, Thursday, that he has received an endorsement from conservative non-profit “New Majority.”
John Cox brings giant trash ball to Santa Barbara, talks homeless plan
Recall candidate John Cox was in Santa Barbara on Thursday to talk about his plan for combatting homelessness in California.
Speaking on the issue of homelessness, Cox said the “old way” of doing things has not worked and said he would shift the state’s focus away from “housing-first” programs to “treatment-first” programs.
“The insiders and politicians have wasted billions of taxpayer dollars on failed programs to combat homelessness,” Cox wrote on Twitter.
Cox rips Faulconer after court denies him ‘retired mayor’ designation
John Cox mocked his Republican counterpart Kevin Faulconer after a judge denied the former San Diego mayor from being able to use that designation next to his name on the upcoming recall election ballot.
In a Twitter post, Cox wrote, “Best of luck to the "retired" @Kevin_Faulconer today. @GavinNewsom could have told you that the @CASOSvote is a stickler on the rules!”
Ose joins chorus of Republicans attacking Newsom on crime
Republican recall candidate Doug Ose released his own statement, Thursday morning, going after Gov. Gavin Newsom for his approach to crime in California.
Ose’s statement follows similar statements from former San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer and the CA GOP, hitting Newsom for his handling of crime and his press conference in LA on initiaives to combat retail theft.
In his statement, Ose saud, “A direct link can be drawn in the up surge of petty crime and the cities and jurisdictions where leaders are public about their lack of support for law enforcement.”
California's official recall list is posted. Here's what to expect.
Just over 50 days out from California’s gubernatorial recall election, the California Secretary of State has certified the official candidate list.
Conservative talk radio host Larry Elder, who announced his candidacy for the special election just last week, will have his name on the ballot after a court battle with Secretary of State Shirley Weber.
“It was a complete and total victory,” Elder said.
Gov. Gavin Newsom faced a similar challenge after a misfiling led to his party preference not making the ballot.
Judge rules against former San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer in ballot designation dispute
A judge Wednesday denied former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer's request to be labeled as the city's retired mayor on the ballot in this year's gubernatorial recall election.
Earlier this week, Faulconer's campaign announced it planned to sue the Secretary of State's Office regarding his ballot designation, alleging that no regulations prohibit the use of the word "retired."
Secretary of State Shirley Weber's court filings argue that Faulconer was termed out as San Diego's mayor and thus did not voluntarily retire from the office.
Faulconer argued in court papers that he took the mayor's job knowing he would eventually have to depart the office due to term limits, meaning he "voluntarily undertook a job that would, as a matter of law, force his early retirement from that job."
Key Dates
- Aug. 16 - First day to vote by mail
- August 30 - Last day to register to vote
- Sept. 14 - Recall election day
California Recall Fast Facts
On July 17, California Secretary of State Shirley Weber released a list of the 41 candidates who qualified to run in the recall election. About 70 candidates initially filed a statement of intent to run with the secretary of state, according to Ballotpedia.
On July 21, Weber signed off on the finalized list of candidates who'll appear on the recall ballot. The number grew to 46, after a judge ruled that candidates should not be required to submit tax forms for a recall election.
The final day for candidates to file paperwork to run in the recall election was July 16.
The final report from the Secretary of State's office, released on June 23, validated 1,719,943 signatures on the recall petition. The recall effort needed 1,495,709 verified signatures to trigger a recall election. Approximately 441,406 signatures were invalidated.
Only 43 people of the more than 1.7 million Californians who signed the recall petition chose to remove their name from the list.
On July 1, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis finalized the cost of the election at $276 million.
More information on the recall election
Read more ABC10 stories about the recall:
- 'There's no free ride' | Gov. Newsom's new plan to stop retail thefts
- Election officials 'fast and furious' as recall plans condense a year of prep into 70 days
- Gavin Newsom report card: What he's done and what he hasn't as California's governor
- Six things to know about the Newsom recall candidates’ tax returns
- Everything you need to know about the candidates in the Newsom recall election