US Vice President Harris rallies for California governor threatened with dismissal

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SACRAMENTO, Calif., Sept. 8 (Reuters) – Vice President Kamala Harris campaigned for struggling California Governor Gavin Newsom on Wednesday, as part of a heightened effort to save his job from a Republican-led recall by appealing to some of the biggest name Democratic Party members.

Harris, a longtime Newsom ally, appeared with the governor in San Leandro, near his childhood home in Oakland. Harris previously served as a United States Senator from California and State Attorney General.

She painted the recall, which is supported financially by state and national Republican groups, as part of a broader Republican effort to oust Democrats from power and expand conservative restrictions on voting, abortion and LGBTQ rights. .

“They think if they can win in California they can do it anywhere,” Harris told a crowd of supporters and union members. “Well, show them you’re not going to do that, never here, never. “

Harris praised Newsom’s handling of the pandemic and cited his early support for same-sex marriage as mayor of San Francisco.

President Joe Biden is also expected to campaign for governor ahead of next Tuesday’s election.

The special election on whether to recall Newsom comes as the country’s most populous state faces an unprecedented attack of unrest, including wildfires, extreme drought and the COVID-19 pandemic in Classes.

The recall question was placed on the ballot after a petition launched by a conservative group called the Patriot Coalition.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris kisses California Governor Gavin Newsom during Newsom’s appearance ahead of the Republican-led recall election in September in San Leandro, California, United States, September 8, 2021. REUTERS / Fred greaves

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Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-to-1 in the state, and a recent Public Policy Institute of California poll showed 58% of likely voters opposed the recall of Newsom, a first-term governor.

But Democrats’ complacency could tip the election towards Republicans, who are more motivated to vote by their opposition to Newsom’s progressive immigration and crime policies.

The Democratic governor’s decision to close in-person schooling during the worst of the pandemic, as well as to enact mask and vaccination warrants, has also angered some conservatives.

On Wednesday, the company Political Data Intelligence released data on early returns that showed Democrats mailing ballots at more than twice the rate of Republicans.

Many Republicans no longer trust postal voting after former President Donald Trump’s false claims about voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election, a reluctance the party is trying to counteract.

Republican state leaders launched a campaign last week to show postal voting is safe, including distributing videos showing senior officials placing their ballots in mailboxes. Read more

But in an interview with conservative Newsmax on Tuesday, Trump predicted, without providing any evidence, that the recall election would be “rigged” in Newsom’s favor.

If such claims make Republicans less likely to vote, Newsom is more likely to keep his job, analysts said.

Reporting by Sharon Bernstein; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Peter Cooney

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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