Gavin Newsom (D) er guvernør av den amerikanske delstaten California. Han risikerer nå å bli avsatt ved hjelp av nyvalg. Foto: AP /Damian Dovarganes/ NTB

Et forsøk på å avsette Californias guvernør Gavin Newsom (D) ved nyvalg ble lansert allerede i juni 2020. 17. mars går fristen ut for å skaffe det tilstrekkelige antallet underskrifter. Det går mot et nyvalg.

Det trengs nesten 1,5 millioner underskrifter for at et nytt valg skal gjennomføres, og etter 17. mars må signaturene verifiseres innen 60 til 80 dager. Et nyvalg vil da trolig bli gjennomført i oktober 2021, skriver BallotPedia.

Motivasjonen bak ønsket om å fjerne Newsom fra hans stilling er blant annet håndteringen av koronapandemien og det voksende problemet med hjemløse i California.

Recall supporters say Newsom mishandled the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, did not do enough to address the state’s homelessness rate, and supported sanctuary city policies and water rationing. In June 2020, Newsom said President Donald Trump’s (R) supporters were behind the recall effort, which he also said would cost the state $81 million.

Newsom was elected as California’s governor in 2018 with 61.9% of the vote. Since 1911, there have been 55 attempts to recall a sitting California governor. The only successful recall campaign was in 2003 when voters recalled then-Gov. Gray Davis (D). Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) was chosen as Davis’ replacement.

Et eventuelt nyvalg vil stille to spørsmål til velgerne. Først og fremst om Newsom skal avsettes. Her trenger man rent flertall blant velgerne, ellers blir Newsom sittende. Hvis man oppnår flertall for avsettelse, er spørsmålet hvem som eventuelt skal overta.

This recall is the fifth in a series of six recall petitions filed against Newsom since 2019. The other five recall campaigns were inactive as of Feb. 3, 2021.

Several individuals have announced campaigns or been mentioned as possible candidates if the recall is successful. Among those are former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer (R), 2018 gubernatorial candidate John Cox (R), and former state Sen. John Moorlach (R).

Newsom skapte raseri ved å bryte restriksjoner han selv hadde innført, da han i november deltok på en middag på The French Laundry, en verdensberømt restaurant i Napa Valley. Her ble flere av smittevernreglene brutt åpenlyst av privilegerte mennesker.

Napa Valley. Newsom apologized for the hypocrisy, but the damage had been done. Prominent Republicans began to endorse the recall effort, bringing it more media and public attention, and the campaign started to raise significant sums of money as well.

Antall signaturer skjøt fart, og skal 10. februar ha passert 1,5 millioner, men de er dog ikke verifiserte.

Signature update just now received from @TomDelBecarro, chair of https://t.co/WKBiFgrWqp, the lead committee supporting @GavinNewsom recall: «We are above 1.5 million. The march to 2 million is on.» Still must be verified, but recall qualifies with 1.4 million valid signatures

— Carla Marinucci (@cmarinucci) February 10, 2021

Nettstedet FiveThirtyEight  skrev 10. februar at det ser ut til at nyvalget blir en realitet, men anser det som mest sannsynlig at Newsom blir sittende. Riktignok ble Gray Davis (D) erstattet med Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) i 2003. Men meningsmålinger viser at Davies var mer upopulær da enn Newsom er nå.

The recall campaign against Davis stopped gathering signatures in mid-July 2003, and the measure qualified for the ballot later that month. Just before that time, surveys by the Public Policy Institute of California and the Field Poll found Davis’s approval rating in the low 20s and his disapproval in the high 60s or worse among voters. By comparison, Newsom’s ratings are far better, if not especially great.

Of course, things could deteriorate further for Newsom such that he becomes more endangered. His approval ratings could sink and more Californians could become supportive of recalling him. But while a recall election looks likely, Newsom seems well positioned to survive it — for the moment, at least.

Lær alt om klimasaken og hysteriet rundt den. Kjøp Kents bok her!