Weeks before the recall race in California, Sen. Bernie Sanders is throwing his weight behind Gov. Gavin Newsom.
'At this unprecedented moment in American history, when we're trying to address the crisis of climate change, guarantee healthcare for all, and pass real immigration reform, the last thing we need is to have some right-wing Republican governor in California,' the Democratic Socialist from Vermont said in a video ad released Monday.
'The September 14th recall of Governor Newsom is a bold-faced Republican power grab,' he added. 'Don't let it happen. Please.'
Sanders vastly outperformed all other Democrats in California in the 2020 presidential primary, and his support could help turn out progressives at the ballot box on Sept. 14.
Last week, Vice President Kamala Harris bailed on campaigning for the governor amid the crisis that unfolded in Afghanistan, as Newsom's popularity slips in polls.
So far 46 people are vying to replace Newsom, and radio host Larry Elder has emerged as the GOP frontrunner. Reality star and ex-Olympian Caitlyn Jenner, 2018 Republican gubernatorial candidate John Cox and former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer have also thrown their names into the race.
At least 46 people are vying to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom, above, whose popularity has waned since his overwhelming victory in 2018
Newsom is fighting for his political life in a recall election scheduled for Sept. 14
'The September 14th recall of Governor Newsom is a bold-faced Republican power grab,' he added. 'Don't let it happen. Please' Sanders said in new ad for the California governor
Newsom was elected in 2018 with overwhelming support, but his popularity waned after his handling of the Covid pandemic, which kept schools closed for nearly all of the pandemic and amid the state's worsening homeless crisis and high cost of living.
A GOP victory would be a profound upset in the Golden State, where Democrats outnumber Republicans two to one. But Newsom's rule is looking more and more tenuous in the polls - a recent YouGov poll found that 48% of likely voters wanted to recall the governor, 52% wanted to keep him in place.
If more than 50% of voters answer 'yes' in favor of a recall, the candidate with the highest number of votes will succeed Newsom.
President Biden was also set to campaign for the governor before the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, but those plans are now up in the air.
It's not clear that Biden's support could be helpful to the governor at this time, given the president's own plunging popularity due to his handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal, especially after 13 service members and 170 people died in a suicide bombing in Kabul last week.
Newsom, fighting for his political life, recalled how he used to always be 'the lucky one' in an interview with The Atlantic on Friday.
'I was always that lucky one, too,' he said. 'Just the whole damn thing flipped on me.'
Last month, Newsom said he wouldn't regret 'a damn thing' if the recall was successful. But on Friday he seemed more cognizant of the polls, and said he would regret his recent policy initiatives if he is ousted.
'If they kick me out. I'm gonna feel good about what we just did, and not ever regret a damn thing,' he told the Sacramento Bee on July 30,adding that he is particularly proud of his record-breaking education spending. 'We put it all out there on this education budget.'
'If I do fall short, I'll regret every damn one of those decisions. And I don't want to have any regrets for putting everything out there and doing … what I think is right and what I think is in the best interest of California,' he told The Atlantic.
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