Written by Juan Sebastian Fragozo
The recall Governor Newsom is facing has his administration scrambling to hold on to power, and of course to keep allies and voters in order to avert disaster. The Governor says the recall is just a distraction, but the recall is fast approaching with several candidates seeking a victory and to move into the Governor’s mansion. The thing is, while Newsom has support from his party, some more progressive factions of the Democratic Party are considering finding a more progressive candidate for Governor, and on the other side, the Republican Party has mustered a list of strong candidates with aims to reverse Newsom’s detrimental actions.
The more left-leaning members of the Democratic Party have had a wish list that they would have wanted Newsom to fulfill; including the push for a single-payer healthcare system, to extend Medicaid coverage to undocumented immigrants, and to rein in oil and gas drilling. Some even say that the Covid-19 pandemic has strengthened the case for more worker protections and a wealth tax. There are those in Sacramento yearning for these acts, but some are of course worried that pressuring the Governor on these topics will only fuel the recall proponents by giving ammunition to use against Newsom. Some on the left dream of an opportunity to replace Newsom with a more progressive alternative, that will certainly backfire with the more centrist and moderate voters. Environmentalists and labor unions represent key bastions of support for Newsom, but they have increasingly been at odds over California’s climate agenda.
Governor Gavin Newsom and his Administration have quite the challenge cut out for them, forcing Newsom to balance his commitments in order to appease some of his base along with maintaining moderates. But overall, it remains clear that the Governor’s first priority is not California, but to save his own political career.
Photo via ABC30
