Newsom's raised more than $51 million for the fight, the pro-recall forces have only taken in $6 million.
Larry Elder has raised $4.5 million during his brief candidacy, beating out the Republican field.
More on the turnout issue
Republicans pushing against a party endorsement of a replacement candidate
Soon we will face an expensive and unnecessary election. This partisan power grab attempt is in part due to the current, too easy, California process for the recall of elected officials. According to the process, if the yeses for recall were, say, 50.1%, and the no votes were 49.9%, the recall would take place. But what is unfair is that someone with maybe 15% of the total votes would be nominated governor, in spite of the fact that a no vote would essentially be a vote of confidence for the incumbent.
ReplyDeletePolls indicate that sixty percent of likely voters said they would favor changing the state's rules so officials can only be recalled because of illegal or unethical activity, while fifty-five percent would support doubling the number of signatures that are required to hold a recall election.
Things being the way they are, people voting no in the coming election also have the option of indicating the candidate they would like to take over in the event that the recall were successful. It seems to me that a counter strategy would be for all the no votes to concentrate on the same name. In the absence of an alternative influential proposal, I suggest that the no votes also select Angelyne as their preference for governor, out of the list of 46 available names.
As crazy as this may seem, it may have the following effects:
1) Emphasize what is wrong with the current recall process and hopefully contribute to calls for future rule changes.
2) The prospect of the potential outcome, if a scenario like the one outlined above were to materialize, could perhaps convince some rational republican voters that it might be better to leave things the way they are, and vote no.
3) Last but not least, if in fact that scenario would take place, one would deny the governorship to the Coxes, Caitlins, Faulconers, Elders, and others who have previously expressed and may still be expressing sympathy for the policies of the former guy.