Both sides made California’s recall election a referendum on Covid-19 restrictions and mandates, and it backfired spectacularly on its promoters. They lost so big that the results may embolden Democrats elsewhere to press forward with sterner measures. (See story here.)
The recall effort, which cost state taxpayers $276 million (see story here), fell flat on its face. The election was called for Gov. Newsom less than an hour after the polls closed, and at one point NBC News’ tally — with over 6 million votes counted — had “No” at over 70%, although the final result appears likely to settle in at about two-to-one against supporters.
California is a liberal state, of course, and it didn’t help them that the leading GOP candidate, a black radio talk show host, is a grotesque freak who advocates slaveowner reparations, calls climate change “a crock,” thinks the ideal minimum wage is zero, and argues that women “know less than men” and “exaggerate the problems of sexism.”
The election also came at a time when the Covid-19 delta variant is surging, and health care is being rationed because of overflowing hospitals in low-vaccination-rate states. The timing couldn’t have been worse for activists who chafe at mask and vaccine mandates, and restrictions on unvaccinated people.
But apart from Larry Elder’s lack of appeal to just about every constituency there is, Californians told pollsters Covid-19 is the issue of greatest concern to them, and on that issue, they’re solidly united against the resisters — which, perhaps, reflects a rising anger among the vaccinated against the unvaccinated for prolonging the pandemic and putting their families at risk.
“This is becoming the vaccinated versus the unvaccinated, and a majority of voters are vaccinated. So the math isn’t hard to do,” Rob Stutzman, a Republican strategist who worked for Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 2003 recall said before the polls closed, The Hill reported (here).
The question now is whether the anti-vaxxers’ defeat in California will strengthen the Democrats’ hand in next year’s midterm elections, or is only a California phenomenon.