California Governor Newsom defeats Republican recall effort

California Governor Gavin Newsom on Sept. 14 handily beat back a Republican campaign to oust him from office, sending a decisive message that voters in the deeply Democratic state supported his policies for tackling COVID-19, immigration and crime.

Newsom, who won his first term in 2018 by a landslide, again claimed a resounding victory in the special recall election. That means he will remain in office through his term ending in January 2023 and see his chances significantly bolstered in next year's regularly scheduled election.

With 58% of precincts reporting late on Sept. 14, Newsom was ahead by 32 percentage points, with 66% of voters saying he should stay in office and 34% saying he should be removed.

"I'm humbled and grateful to the millions and millions of Californians that exercised their fundamental right to vote," Newsom said in a victory speech on Sept. 14 night in the state capital of Sacramento.

His win and the high turnout on Sept. 14's election came as a relief to national Democrats, who already were bracing for a tough fight in the 2022 elections that will decide control of Congress. A loss in one of the party's stronghold states would have set off alarms across the country, particularly given the leading Republican challenger was a supporter of former President Donald Trump with a track record of controversial statements about women and minorities.

Newsom and Democratic leaders including President Joe Biden characterized the recall effort, heavily supported by state and national Republican groups, as part of a broader Republican agenda to oust Democrats from power and expand conservative restrictions on voting, civil rights and abortion.

"Economic justice, social justice, racial justice, environmental...