Gavin Newsom’s Recall Vote Results Are In — Here’s The 411

It began as a referendum on the job performance of Gavin Newsom, with the help of the media, it pivoted into a Red vs Blue political battle.

In California, that gave Newsom the home-field advantage. Once he was facing a red v. blue fight, and not a referendum on Newsom’s incompetence, all bets were off. The uphill battle Elder faced got that much harder.

The press did their part in tilting the playing field to help Newsom however they could. For example…

The racist attack by a woman in a gorilla mask chucking an egg at Larry Elder, and taking a swing at his staff got little traction in the left-friendly press. What little attention it did get glossed over the racial implications of that image in a way that would never have happened had the black candidate had a (D) after his name. IS THIS RACIST? White Lib In Gorilla Mask Attacks Larry Elder (VIDEO)

When they DID report on the story, they deceptively paired an ambiguous headline with his interaction with a female supporter he hugged to make seem as though he was slapping her. L.A. Times Smears Larry Elder With Misleading Photo Implying He Hit A Woman And It Was Being Investigated

Unsubstantiated allegations about Elder ‘brandishing a gun’ were given wide airing, but Rose McGowan’s accusation that Newsom’s wife actively tried convince (bribe?) her to spike her MeToo story so Harvey Weinstein could cover up his crimes were not amplified.

Larry Elder was called the ‘black face of white supremacy’ by the press, and a ‘Trump clone’ by Biden which was (to use their words) a ‘dog whistle’ for Dems who treat Trump and anyone who supports him as a racial bigot.

With Elder facing that kind of headwind, the initial reports of Newsom surviving the recall vote are not that surprising.

CBS News projects that the “no” vote will win the recall election, meaning Governor Gavin Newsom will remain in office. Newsom avoided an upset loss that would have sent Democrats scrambling ahead of the upcoming 2021 gubernatorial elections in New Jersey and Virginia, as well as the 2022 midterm elections.

…The “no” vote won out with most demographic groups: Majorities of both men and women, White and non-White voters, and voters of all age groups all voted against the recall. –CBS

The media’s endless doses of pandemic porn seems to have helped Newsom dodge this bullet.

For those voting “no” on the recall (keeping Gavin Newsom as governor), the coronavirus is the issue they see as the most important facing their state. For those voting “yes” on the recall (removing Newsom as governor), the economy and homelessness are the most important for them. Proponents of the effort to recall Newsom have been critical of Newsom’s COVID policies, mostly arguing that they are too strict. –CBS

When it came time to accept the results, Larry Elder took the high road.

Republican Larry Elder conceded California’s recall to Gov. Gavin Newsom but vowed to fight on after election results showed the incumbent soundly defeating the campaign to remove him from office.

Elder, a conservative talk radio host, gained the most votes among the dozens of candidates who sought to replace Newsom. That gives Elder some political momentum if he chooses to run again for governor in 2022 when Newsom faces reelection.

“Let’s be gracious in defeat,” Elder said at an Orange County rally for volunteers, even as some of his supporters called on him to not accept the result. “We may have lost the battle but we are going to win the war.” — SacBee

Not that he would have lacked grist for the mill had he wanted to contest the result. He could have played any number of angles in making that case. For example:

Disenfranchised Republicans had a ‘voter suppression’ story the Dems won’t care about at all… Cali Republicans Ready To Cast Their Ballot In Newsom Recall Were Told They’ve ALREADY Voted

People complained that a window on the envelope let people see whether it was a ‘no’ or a ‘yes’ vote.

Also relevant is the fact that somebody was busted with 300 stolen ballots in his possession. Was he a one-off, or was that part of a broader attempt at manipulating the vote? CALI RECALL ELECTION: 300 Stolen Ballots Found In Car Of Passed Out Felon

California even tried to cheat Elder out of having his name on the ballot, but he won that fight in court. HEY NEWSOM: A Court Just Ruled In Favor Of Larry Elder … Are You Nervous?

Even at the name-gathering stage, a large number of votes were disqualified… at the same time that Stacey Abrams and Joe Biden were spouting off about Jim Crow 2.0 — Cali Rejects Nearly 20% Of Signatures In Gavin Newsom Recall Effort — Is That An ‘Assault On Democracy’?

This story was written in 2019. And California did not comply: Hey CNN: California Ordered To Clean Up Election Rolls — Is That News?

That said, with the next race just around the corner, this recall set up a very interesting contest. Seeing how much energy the left poured into opposing him, they consider Elder a genuine threat.

And if they’re scared, we’re doing something right.