Newsom stated Tuesday that there was no more important decision for the health and safety in California than voting no to this Republican-backed recall. This statement was made at an Oakland vaccine event two weeks prior to the recall election. He stated that he and Republican candidates would prefer to go the route of Texas and Florida. These states have more relaxed protocols, which in turn means lower vaccine rates and more virus cases.
In November, the governor was criticised for attending a French Laundry dinner with lobbyists despite the fact that it discouraged residents from attending social events. This cringeworthy decision was widely seen as a catalyst for recall. The situation deteriorated further as California experienced its highest Covid-19 deaths and overcrowded hospitals.
Newsom changed his focus to California's reopening, and his efforts for a budget surplus on education, homelessness, and stimulus checks, as Californians were vaccinated. He replaced his regular briefings about Covid-19 cases, vaccination efforts, with a celebration at Universal Studios along with costumed Trolls. There was also a large budget rally celebrating "California's comeback."
The governor has once again leaned on his pandemic efforts in the final stretch of the campaign before Sept. 14. Newsom has mandated a universal school-mask policy before the CDC, and has issued the most stringent vaccine requirements for teachers and healthcare workers in the nation. All of the top Republican recall candidates have pledged to reverse those mandates if they are elected.
The election coincides with precarious school closings. As a result, Delta-variant anxiety increases. The Democratic governor sees an opportunity to draw a clear and ominous line. If he is removed, the virus will only get worse.
What's at stake with the recall of September 14? It's a matter for life and death, says a new ad for the recall. The ad criticizes Larry Elder, the top GOP candidate, for his radical approach to vaccines and conspiracy theories about the virus. Newsom's team quickly circulated a CNN interview in which Elder suggested that children didn't need to be vaccinated, and downplayed the risk of getting sick.
It might seem strange that election season messaging is counterintuitive, given that recall was made possible by anger over the pandemic lockdowns. Newsom will only need to turn out his base if Democrats in California outnumber Republicans.
Sean Gailmard is a University of California Berkeley political science professor and close observer of recalls. He noticed a shift in Newsom’s messaging since May. Newsom was riding rollercoasters and giving out checks to the vaccinated as a game-show host, celebrating California's return after a turbulent winter of curfews, stay-at-home orders, and curfews.
The mood is now more serious and, fortunately for Newsom's, the focus isn't on a California-specific issue.
"A good messaging strategy is to highlight the main problem of the day, as long as nobody can claim that you caused it. That's what Delta was doing with its message. It is obvious that it is raging all over the country and it is getting worse in many areas," Gailmard stated. He is not referring to fires, housing development, or reminding people of the difficulties that can sometimes exist here. The message is simple: I am the only candidate facing voters who has the ability to do a decent job.
Since the beginning, the public health threat and Newsom's threat of removal from office have been inextricably linked. A judge gave recall proponents extra time to collect signatures because of pandemic restraints.
According to polling, slightly more Californians are likely to vote against the recall than for Newsom. However, a greater percentage of Californians favor Newsom's approach to pandemic restrictions. The Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies reported that the majority of voters believed Newsom did an excellent or great job in dealing with the pandemic. CBS News, however, found 60-40 support for Newsom's handling of the outbreaks.
Newsom's team sees pandemic messaging in deep blue California as a winning strategy, given its strength.
"What is on the minds of voters right now? They don't want California turning into Florida or Texas. Nathan Click, a spokesperson for Newsom's campaign said that they don't want a governor who allows anti-vaxxers "to endanger all others." It's now the main issue in recall, because it's the topic in everyday life for voters. It's at the top of everyone’s minds.
Newsom championed Covid precautions but he hasn't returned to the more aggressive orders from the past which were criticised for their authoritative overreach. Instead, the cities and counties have taken up mask mandates.
Newsom avoided questions in July about the possibility of a return to a state-wide mask mandate. His public health team recommended that all residents wear masks indoors, regardless of their vaccination status, in areas where there is high Covid-19 transmission. This was in line with CDC guidance. This is not a mandate that Washington Gov. has just implemented. Jay Inslee.
"To a large extent, the difference between the tone and the political climate is driven by politics. Newsom can now warn about the dangers of Republicans putting the state at risk with a vaccine. But he doesn’t have to make shutdowns anymore," said Dan Schnur. He was a former Republican strategist who also supervised state campaign finance monitoring. Schnur now teaches politics at several California universities. He is not willing to take a hard line on vaccine mandates and masks, but he knows the majority of Californians agree with him."
