CALIFORNIA, USA — Experts weigh in on Cuomo resignation and California recall election
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo resigned Tuesday morning over a barrage of sexual harassment allegations. The man, once hailed by the Democratic party for his leadership during the pandemic, stepped down before an impeachment could force him out.
With Governor Gavin Newsom facing a recall election in California, two top Democrats are in tough positions, albeit for two very different reasons.
Could Cuomo’s scandal affect the recall?
Multiple political experts ABC10 spoke with agree, Cuomo should have resigned. Sexual misconduct is not a political issue. Some Republicans, however, are using the scandal to galvanize supporters in the California recall election.
Follow ABC10 and CBS8 political anchor Morgan Rynor for all your recall update.
Cox breaks out new giant boardgame gimmick, pushes income tax cut plan
Republican recall candidate John Cox was in San Francisco on Tuesday and he brought with him a new eye-catching campaign prop he’s dubbed “Gavinopoly.”
Cox also used the spotlight to announce his proposal to cut income taxes by 25%. According to Cox, the cuts would slash $30 billion from the budget but would be made up for by “closing corporate loopholes and cutting wasteful spending.”
“Taxes are way too high in California. I’ll deliver the largest tax cut in history, benefiting all families and small businesses,” Cox wrote.
'Leave the second question BLANK,' California Democrats say
The California Democratic Party is now instructing voters to vote “No” on question 1 of the recall ballot and leave question 2 blank.
News sources on Monday reported Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday instructing voters to do the same thing. Now that sentiment has become the official party position.
“We’re just focusing on ‘no’ on the recall, leaving the rest blank,” Newsom told Politico.
On social media, The California Democratic Party kept its instructions to voters short and simple:
“In many parts of California, ballots are already on their way for the recall election,” the party wrote. “Remember: Vote NO on the first question, and leave the second question blank. It's up to all of us to #StopTheRepublicanRecall and stand with Governor Gavin Newsom.”
The gubernatorial recall ballot will consist of two parts. The first part is a yes or no question: “Shall GAVIN NEWSOM be recalled (removed) from the office of Governor?” If a majority of voters vote “No” then the rest of the ballot becomes moot. Newsom would stay governor.
The second part kicks in if most voters choose “Yes” on question one. At that point, whichever of the 46 replacement candidates receives a plurality of the vote would become governor and would be up for re-election in the 2022 governor’s race.
The recall election will take place on Sept. 14, but most California residents will start to receive their mail-in ballots as early as next week.
Republican recall candidates seize on convicted killer’s parole
Kevin Faulconer and John Cox each issued statements condemning the parole convicted killer David Weidert, placing blame for his pending release squarely on Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Weidert received a life sentence for killing Michael Morganti in 1980. Weidert and an accomplice forced Morganti to dig his own grave. They then beat, stabbed and choked him. He suffocated after being buried alive.
Newsom and his predecessor, Gov. Jerry Brown, previously rejected Weidert's parole three times. But on his fourth parole hearing, Newsom took no action and allowed the state parole board’s decision to grant Weidert parole to stand.
Cox took to Facebook to blame Newsom, saying, “Gavin Newsom has allowed a criminal who buried a developmentally-disabled man alive out of prison early. Newsom has no respect for public safety. His actions allowing this killer to go free are disgusting. We must recall Newsom from office on September 14.”
In his statement about Weidert being granted parole, Faulconer said, “Convicted killers belong in prison, not on our streets. No one who beat, stabbed, and then buried a person alive should be allowed to go free. Gavin Newsom let this happen. Once again, he has sided with criminals instead of victims. That's going to change when I'm Governor.”
Newsom goes on the offensive at ‘Women Against the Recall’ event
Gov. Gavin Newsom took conservative radio host Larry Elder to task during a virtual campaign event Monday evening.
The event, titled “Women Against the Recall”, was hosted by California Representatives Barbara Boxer and Karen Bass. The event was billed as a “conversation on what we need to do to get out the vote and defeat the Republican recall,” and one of the things Newsom apparently felt he needed to do was to take on his leading challenger.
Newsom labeled Elder as being “more extreme” than former president Donald Trump and called into question his stances on climate change and minimum wage. He even brought up an old quote Elder made regarding the overall intellect of men and women.
“You can’t make it up. That’s what’s on the ballot on Sept. 14,” Newsom said.
The governor also seems to understand the urgency of getting complacent Democratic voters enthused about the election. State Dems have been sounding the alarm for a few weeks now that the election is closer than ever.
“Those that think this thing is not close, it is,” Newsom said. “The reality is that this is close, and it all comes down to one fundamental thing…polls don’t vote, people do.”
Follow ABC10 and CBS8 political anchor Morgan Rynor for all your recall update.
Gallery: 2021 California Gubernatorial Recall candidates
Key Dates
- Aug. 4 - Republican recall candidates debate
- Aug. 7 - Republican Party virtual delegate vote
- 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.