Patterson, the state GOP chair, said the party is looking ahead to next year, when it will be defending five newly minted Republican House seats in California. So it's a very good opportunity for the party to frankly grow beyond its current base," he said. "And as long as Trump-related candidates stay out of it, they're not talking about Donald Trump. Newsom recall supporters gather signatures in La Cañada Flintridge in Southern California on March 6, 2021. Gray Davis, said the current effort gives Republicans a chance to talk about how they would govern the state differently from Democrats. Republican consultant Rob Stutzman, who worked on the successful 2003 recall of Gov. "And every day you can see it because all the county parties are starting to surf that wave." "They're certainly using it as an organizing tool. If nothing else, says Anne Dunsmore, a consultant for the recall campaign, the effort to get rid of Newsom puts Democrats on the defensive while giving the GOP an opportunity to reach voters who might not otherwise be receptive to the party's message. But our campaign is not based upon, you know, the wishes of the Republican Party or its Republican Party operatives."Īt the same time, Economy acknowledges, "some of our greatest volunteers are, you know, chairmen of individual county Republican parties up in Nevada County or El Dorado County or Alameda and Orange County." "Everybody has the right to get involved. We couldn't stop them from doing that," Economy said. "I know that the Republican Party structure has decided to get involved in the campaign. Randy Economy, official spokesman for the recall campaign, is a former Democrat turned independent turned Republican - and he insists the effort is nonpartisan. With the help of $250,000 from the Republican National Committee toward the recall effort, it looks like money won’t be a problem for the campaign if it qualifies for the ballot. "So keeping the volunteers engaged in a quote unquote off year is phenomenal." "We've done about a million phone calls," she said. It’s also a way to keep volunteers engaged in what was supposed to be a relatively quiet political year, Patterson says. And we don't have to wait until 2022 to do it," Patterson said. "We have an opportunity to right the ship here and we can do that through this recall. Patterson says the recall is a chance to showcase the GOP as an alternative to Democratic policies they don’t like, from the pandemic shutdown to taxes and immigration. "We saw that there was a movement there and we joined on to it because it's the right thing to do for Californians," she said. Jessica Millan Patterson, chair of the California Republican Party, says the recall didn’t start out as a purely Republican effort, but the party's all in now. Just shy of 1.5 million valid signatures - 12% of the total votes cast in the previous gubernatorial election - are needed to qualify for the ballot, per state election rules. (Scott Shafer/KQED)Ī week from tomorrow is the deadline for signatures, and recall organizers say they already have nearly 2 million - more than enough, assuming they’re all valid. "You know, when we see him eat in restaurants and doing stuff like that, it really shows where his loyalties lie." A sign for a Newsom recall rally in Vacaville on March 6, 2021. It feels like he doesn't care," Verza said. And it just feels like Newsom isn't helping us out at all. "My friend group, family group, we're having a hard time here. "It's really important for Republicans to be out here and helping people see that they have a voice."Īmong those who stopped to sign the petition this past weekend was David Verza, 32, a Republican who says the recall for him is personal. Have you updated your information?" Guerra said. "We ask how long has it been since you've updated your registration and your signature? Because that is one way that the ballot gets kicked out, if your signature isn't correct. In addition to corralling people to sign recall petitions, Guerra is making sure their voter information is up to date. Michele Guerra, chair of the Solano County Republican Party, helped organize a recall rally last weekend in Vacaville, where volunteers waved American flags in front of City Hall as passersby in cars honked their horns in support.
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