So if California voters vote “yes” to recall Governor Newsom, who are the candidates voters must select in the winner-take-all recall election?

After submitting 2,117,730 signatures by the March 17, 2021 deadline, and after certification being finalized on June 23, the 2021 Recall special election of Governor Gavin Newsom (D, San Francisco) is on the ballot for September 14, 2021.

Voters will see two questions. The first (paraphrasing) simply shall Governor Gavin Newsom be recalled? (Yes/No).

If “Yes” voters outnumber “No”, then the 2nd question of which of the candidates on the recall ballot is to be elected in a winner-take-all election to replace the Recalled Governor Newsom.

So far, there are over 4 dozen declared candidates, with Republicans fielding the more prominent candidates including:

• 2018 Republican nominee John H. Cox, who previously lived in Illinois and was an unsuccessful Republican U.S. Senate candidate in 2002 and lost the 2004 General Election for Cook County Recorder of Deeds
• Kevin Faulconer, former mayor of San Diego
• Caitlyn Jenner (formerly 1976 Olympic Decathlon Champion Bruce Jenner), reality TV show actor and transgender activist
• Assemblyman Kevin Kiley (suburban Sacramento) who’s been vocal critic of Governor Newsom since 2019
• Former Congressman Doug Ose (3rd District), who was an unsuccessful candidate for governor in 2018

Former Trump Administration official Richard Grenell has reportedly decided not to pursue the governor’s race.

Red State blog published its endorsement of Assemblyman Kevin Kiley on Wednesday, July 7, day after he formally announced his candidacy and raised an initial $200K in his first day as a candidate.

Highlighting the endorsement of Kiley is his vocal opposition to Assembly Bill (AB5), the destructive worker classification bill pushed through by the Democrats in Sacramento and signed into law nearly two years by Governor Newsom:

“He [Kiley] has been one of the few state politicians who has actively lobbied against the disastrous AB5, also known as the ‘Gig Economy Bill’, which destroyed millions of independent contracting jobs across the state despite massive voter opposition, and which now has a national version sitting in the Senate, waiting to be approved (or stuffed into the infrastructure bill right under our noses).

“If the PRO Act passes it will deliver the same destruction of the ‘gig economy’ to the entire nation. The bill was fashioned to punish Uber and Lyft, but when those tech giants spent their way into an exemption, the bill did not die and still stands today, continuing to deny Californians the right to work for themselves as freelancers unless they receive as special exemption from the Sacramento gods.

“Kiley has been a tireless warrior for the California working class, continuing to attempt to repeal AB5, and collecting the harrowing stories of Californians who have been devastated by this perplexing and unjust law. That fight has earned him respect from Democrat and Republican Californians alike.”

Red State Editor-at-large Kira Davis, 7/7/21 editorial endorsement of Kevin Kiley

The editorial endorsement of the 36 years old 3-term state assemblyman, written by Editor-at-large Kira Davis, can be viewed here.

From the desk of John Lopez: The Red State article linked in the quote is a late May article discussing how Senate Democrats might attempt to place the PRO Act into the infrastructure bill. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework announced on June 24 does not include the PRO Act in the final compromise worked out between the Biden Administration, Senate Democrats and Senate Republicans.