Governor Gavin Newsom Defends Record Amid California Recall Challenge
Published Date: 5/4/2021
Source: Bloomberg Quicktake: Now
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is defending his record on a range of issues, from the state's coronavirus response, to battling wildfires, to job creation as a host of Republican challengers are vying to oust the Democrat in a recall election likely to be scheduled for the fall. "Now is not the time to waste hundreds of millions of dollars on a recall effort that is nothing more than a partisan power grab," Newsom said during a recall-focused event on Tuesday with two firefighter unions, one of his first explicit campaign events. Republicans John Cox and Caitlyn Jenner also pitched themselves to voters Tuesday in new campaign ads, taking different tones in their bids to replace Newsom. Cox, a 65-year-old businessman who lost in a landslide to Newsom in 2018, released a video calling himself “the beast" to the photogenic Newsom's “beauty." Launching a bus tour in Sacramento with a live Kodiak bear named Tag ambling behind him in the hot sun, Cox promised to bring “beastly" changes to state government. He spent $5 million to begin airing a 30-second version on television statewide, his campaign said, a major amount this early in the campaign and indicative of the need to raise his profile in a crowded field. Cox all but admitted the bear's appearance was a stunt aimed at drawing eyes to his campaign, but promised to discuss “serious issues" - like bringing down the cost of housing, boosting the state's water resources and preventing special interests from influencing government. Jenner, meanwhile, released a video with a more inspirational and patriotic tone. She calls herself a “compassionate disruptor" in the ad that features clips from her Summer Olympics appearance in 1976, when she won the gold medal in the men's decathlon. Jenner, now a 71-year-old transgender woman, has held no campaign events since announcing her candidacy nearly two weeks ago, though a televised town hall in her hometown of Malibu is planned for Wednesday. The ad offers her most expansive commentary as a candidate. The ad shows a photo of Newsom only once and never says his name, though she is clearly blasting his pandemic policies by highlighting closed businesses and kids out of school. Jenner's campaign didn't immediately answer whether the campaign was running corresponding ads on television or whether the pitch was digital only. The release of the ads marked a new phase in the campaign. Newsom wasn't expected to face an election until 2022, but critics of his coronavirus response and liberal policies succeeded in collecting more than the 1.5 million signatures needed to for a recall election. There are still several steps remaining before the election is officially certified but the signatures collection and verification were the biggest hurdles. The election will likely be scheduled for the fall. Other Republicans in the race include former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and former Congressman Doug Ose. Cox won less than 40% of the vote against Newsom in 2018 and has never won elected office despite many attempts. But he said that run gives him a statewide base to grow this time around. Faulconer has not run a statewide campaign and Ose briefly ran for governor in 2018 before dropping out. Cox pitched himself Tuesday as a man who knows struggle. He grew up with a single mom, paid his way through college, and launched a succesful business career, mostly in real estate. He's already spent $10 million of his own money on the race and said he is willing to spend more. Jenner is working with several former aides to Trump. Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2TwO8Gm Bloomberg Quicktake brings you live global news and original shows spanning business, technology, politics and culture. Make sense of the stories changing your business and your world. To watch complete coverage on Bloomberg Quicktake 24/7, visit http://www.bloomberg.com/qt/live, or watch on Apple TV, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Fire TV and Android TV on the Bloomberg app. Have a story to tell? Fill out this survey for a chance to have it featured on Bloomberg Quicktake: https://cor.us/surveys/27AF30 Connect with us on… YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Bloomberg Breaking News on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/BloombergQuickTakeNews Twitter: https://twitter.com/quicktake Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quicktake Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quicktake