Biden Backs California Gov. Newsom as Recall Effort Heats Up

While the Senate busied itself Tuesday with the opening of former President Donald Trump’s Senate impeachment trial, the Biden administration took time to throw its support behind beleaguered California Gov. Gavin Newsom and against the growing effort to recall him.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Twitter that the president “clearly opposes any effort to recall Gavin Newsom”:

In addition to sharing a commitment to a range of issues with @GavinNewsom from addressing the climate crisis to getting the pandemic under control, @POTUS clearly opposes any effort to recall @GavinNewsom

— Jen Psaki (@PressSec) February 9, 2021

At a press briefing the same day, Psaki was questioned about the growing push to recall the Democratic leader, the New York Post reports.

Backers of the recall effort have raised more than $2.5 million, according to financial disclosures filed with the state through Feb. 2. Recall supporters say that indicates they have the necessary momentum for the 1.5 million valid signatures needed to put the recall on the ballot, per the Los Angeles Times. A Berkeley IGS poll showed that more than one-third of the state’s voters say they would support such a recall if the measure qualifies for the ballot. The same poll showed that just 46% approve of Newsom’s performance as governor, while 48% disapprove, 31% disapproving strongly. This compares to Newsom’s September approval rating of 64%.

“I see this as a citizen movement,” Rescue California campaign manager and finance director Anne Hyde Dunsmore said in an interview with NTD, per The Epoch Times. “We’re attracting interest all across the board, and if you dig down into those polls, I think the more dangerous numbers are that within the no party preference category of voters, he’s upside down there too—his disapproval is higher than his approval.”

Newsom has come under fire for leading the state to oppressive restrictions through the COVID-19 pandemic, including a “no worship” ban for churches recently overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court while nonreligious establishments, including bars and casinos, faced no similar restrictions. The governor’s 25% capacity directive for churches, synagogues and mosques, however, remains in place.

Earlier, a Newsom spokesman said the latest campaign to recall him is “a waste of money,” adding that the governor would prefer to focus on pandemic-related efforts. {eoa}

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