California Democrats are getting a bit squirmy about what voter turnout will look like for the upcoming recall election of Governor Gavin Newsom.
Particularly because they’re worried about a lack of urgency and energy without Donald Trump on the ballot to play foil.
For California, a state that has been more-than-solidly blue for decades, the results of a CBS/YouGov poll might be making Democrats a bit hot under the collar.
The poll revealed that voters who voted for Joe Biden were less likely than Trump voters to be closely following the recall, and were less motivated to vote.
A Berkeley-IGS survey showed registered Democrat and Independent voters a whopping 30% less likely than Republicans to have a high level of interest in voting in the election.
Democratic outreach to Latino voters on the California recall election is not working. I’ve been speaking to young Latinxs and almost none of them have any idea what is going on. This is really, really bad.
— Jean Guerrero (@jeanguerre) August 22, 2021
Democrat Strategy
With 40% of Californians undecided about who should take over if Gov. Gavin Newsom is recalled, the next highest percentage points go to conservative radio talk show host and author Larry Elder at 23%.
Part of the Democrat strategy has been to tie Elder, the leading Republican, to Trump.
A recent ad of Newsom’s shows a picture of Trump and Elder standing together, each giving a thumbs up sign, while a narrator talks about Elder’s opposition to COVID restrictions, and then says that the election is, “a matter of life and death.”
At a campaign stop recently in San Francisco, Newsom described Elder as “to the right of Donald Trump, that’s what’s at stake in this election.”
This is what Very Objective (TM) news coverage of the the California recall election looks like. pic.twitter.com/PWwb8zkGpU
— Cernovich (@Cernovich) August 23, 2021
Democrats Are Nervous About Lack Of Energy
In a state where the Republican Party is only one quarter of the electorate, Democrats are very nervous about what they see as lack of interest on their side about the election.
In a state as blue as California, Joe Biden beat Donald Trump by 30 points. Even a close election would be an embarrassment for Newsom.
Former Democrat Mayor of Los Angeles Antonio Villaraigosa says what a lot of Democrats must be thinking: “I think he pulls it out. But it’s going to be close. It shouldn’t be. But it’s going to be very, very close because Republicans are animated, and we’re not.”
Democrat strategist Darry Sragow explained, “They want Trump to be on the ballot. That’s the whole thing. That’s the whole premise of the campaign. From the beginning, the fundamental premise of the anti-recall strategy has been that this is a referendum on Donald Trump, not on Gavin Newsom.”
Trouble is, Trump isn’t on the ballot. He’s a private citizen.
“Big donors helping Newsom fight California recall also have a big wish list in Sacramento”https://t.co/ydz3psrZRH
— Larry Elder (@larryelder) August 24, 2021
One Thing Democrats Might Not Be Thinking Of
There is one voting bloc in California that Democrats may be losing, and that is Latino voters. As of August 3, an Emerson college poll showed that 54% of latino voters would vote to recall Gavin Newsom.
The question is whether or not a black conservative like Larry Elder could draw more Latinos and minorities away from the Democrat Party in California.
California Democrats spent much of 2020 laughing off threats of recall elections. They don’t seem to be laughing now.
Conservative Larry Elder scores a major endorsement from the Orange County Register for the California recall election against Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom. https://t.co/6jbGPcbMaT
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) August 16, 2021
The Political Insider publishes the authentic conservative voices of political insiders and award-winning contributors who believe in personal responsibility, limited government, free markets, individual liberty, traditional American values, and a strong national defense. Each one is committed to combating the overwhelming liberal bias in today’s media to give you, the reader, the unedited facts on real issues.
