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California Gov. Gavin Newsom is facing a new recall attempt, with a group of conservative activists arguing that the Democratic chief executive has "abandoned" the state and has instead been focused on booting his profile ahead of a potential presidential run.
The organizers of the group, Rescue California, will present the recall petition papers to Newsom's office on Monday, kicking off what will be a lengthy and likely grueling drive to qualify the recall for the ballot.
The development was first reported by Politico.
Newsom, who was first elected governor in 2018, faced his first recall campaign in 2021 after conservative activists — angered at the time by California's COVID-19 mandates and frustrated by the state's homelessness epidemic and housing affordability issues — successfully secured enough signatures to put the issue on the ballot.
But Newsom vigorously fought back against the effort and voters overwhelmingly chose "no" on the first ballot question of whether he should've been recalled. The second question asked who should replace Newsom should be he recalled, and although conservative talk radio host Larry Elder emerged as the top vote-getter on that question, it was moot as voters had already rejected the recall.
Newsom was reelected to a second full term in 2022.
The latest recall effort is driven in part by Newsom's role as a top campaign surrogate for President Joe Biden's reelection campaign, with Rescue California contending that the governor isn't tending to state's ballooning budget deficit and has instead sought to position himself for a future White House bid.
"Gavin Newsom has abandoned the state to advance his presidential ambitions, leaving behind a $73 billion budget deficit and a public safety, immigration and education crisis," Rescue California campaign director Anne Dunsmore told Politico.
"California needs a full-time governor who is fully focused on the serious problems the state and its citizens are facing," she added, arguing that a potential second recall may be "our last opportunity to rescue and restore our state."
Newsom's office isn't dismissing the petition drive.
"We are taking it seriously," Newsom spokesperson Nathan Click told Politico. "These Trump Republicans are targeting Gov. Newsom because he is out there defending democracy and fighting for the reelection of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris."
"He's not going to be distracted from that fight. Democracy's on the ballot, and he's going to keep fighting," he added.
Newsom over the past two years has emerged as one of the Democratic Party's most prominent national voices, and he's been a star fundraiser for the Biden campaign, a major boost for the president as California is one of the biggest sources of political donations in the country.
But Newsom faces some major challenges at home.
Last week, the California Legislative Analyst's Office projected the state's budget shortfall for the 2024-2025 fiscal year at $73 billion. The number represents a dramatic turn of events from just two years ago, when Newsom boasted of the state's $97.5 billion surplus for the 2022-2023 fiscal year budget.
And the state continues to struggle with homelessness and the dearth of affordable housing, which has led many residents to either move inland from Los Angeles and San Francisco or leave the state entirely.
In 2021, California recorded its first-ever population decline.
