California Governor Gavin Newsom faces angry allegations of rigging a recall election which could cost him his career over a new law which will see the contest held earlier than planned.
Newsom is set to sign off a bill passed by the California State Legislature Monday which would enable him to hold the recall up to 30 days earlier than Golden State rules currently allow.
The bill - which Newsom is almost certainly set to approve - would help the governor capitalize on a swell in his polling numbers after California finally dropped its draconian COVID-19 lockdown measures.
It allows Newsom to bypass the usual legislative review process ahead of a recall election, provided $35 million is set aside to pay for local officials to set up and organize voting centers.
But Republicans say the tactic is a dirty trick. GOP Assemblyman Kevin Kiley raged: 'The conclusion is inescapable that Gavin Newsom is cheating in the recall and this Legislature is his willing accomplice.'
'Here we go again. You know this just reeks of partisanship and we need to stop that,' Republican Sen. Jim Nielsen said.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, pictured in Los Angeles on June 15, has been accused of dirty tricks over plans to hold his recall election earlier than planned
Golden State Democrats want to try and capitalize on a polling boost for Newsom after COVID lockdown measures were lifted. People are pictured enjoying San Francisco on June 15
'It is an attempt to put a thumb on the scale, to try to obtain a partisan outcome for one side,' GOP Assemblyman Vince Fong added.
It is unclear what influence, if any, Newsom had in pushing the new bill, and his office has refused to comment on it.
California's heavily-Democrat legislature hopes that holding Newsom's recall election earlier could help save his career by encouraging voters pleased by the return to normal life to keep their governor in office.
They want the recall to take place as soon as possible, in the hopes of holding it before a scandal or downtown in Newsom's popularity harms his prospects.
Election officials warn they'll need until at least September to plan for the recall, with Newsom set to face voters before the year is out.
But some Democrats and analysts have warned holding the recall earlier could backfire. They say it may take longer to canvass liberal voters to come out and vote to keep Newsom in office.
'That really suggested maybe we don´t know what we´re doing. You´re playing with fire by doing that,' said Joshua Spivak, a senior fellow at the Hugh L Carey Institute for Government Reform at Wagner College in Staten Island, New York.
By contrast, the 1.7 million people who voted to get Newsom out-of-office are already part of a highly-energized campaign, and are ready to hit the ground running.
Many were infuriated by California's draconian lockdown measures, which were amongst the harshest in the US. The Golden State fared little better in terms of hospitalizations and deaths than Republican states including Texas and Florida that lifted all restrictions far earlier.
Newsom was condemned over his lockdown measures - and this trip to the indoor dining room of the French Laundry restaurant in November 2020, while urging Californians to stay home
Newsom was also condemned as hypocritical and out-of-touch last November after photos emerged of him eating inside at California's famed French Laundry restaurant.
He paid a trip to the eaterie - renowned as one of the world's finest - despite urging Californians to stay at home, and was forced to issue a groveling apology afterwards.
Those gaffes energized Republicans into organizing a recall, which requires the written support of at least 12 per cent of voters who cast a ballot in the state's last governor election.
Recall supporters managed to exceed the 1.5 million signatures required by almost 200,000.
Voters will be asked if they think Newsom should be recalled. If more than 50 per cent of voters say 'Yes,' he will lose his job.
Among those in the running to take over from Newsom are Caitlyn Jenner, pictured, who is running as a Republican candidate
The ballot also asks anyone who wants Newsom recalled who should replace him, with no limit on the number of candidates who run. Whoever gets the most votes would be named as the new governor, even if they do not have a majority.
Contenders for Newsom's job include Assemblyman Kiley, who condemned Monday's legislation, as well as Olympian-turned-reality star Caitlyn Jenner.
Jenner, 71, has positioned herself as a libertarian-leaning Republican. She could follow in the footsteps of Arnold Schwarzenegger as the state's second megastar governor.
Schwarzenegger served as Republican Governor of California between 2003 and 2011. Newsom had been due to face a regular election next year.
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