Republicans Meet To Discuss Breaking Away From Pro-Trump Members Of Their Party


Republicans Meet To Discuss Breaking Away From Pro-Trump Members Of Their Party

Newsom Recall

Newsom Recall Leaders Claim To Have Enough Signatures For Special Election

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Published

California Gov. Gavin Newsom. (Courtesy Gov. Newsom’s office)

Leaders of the effort to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom say they’ve collected 1.7 million signatures, roughly 200,000 more than needed to trigger a special election.

The Secretary of State must certify roughly 1.5 million valid signatures by mid-March to get on the ballot.

The recall grew out of opposition to Newsom’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s been fueled largely by Republican activists and donors.

“Generally, recalls fail because you don’t get enough signatures,” said Joshua Spivak, a senior fellow at Wagner College’s Institute for Government Reform. “In U.S. history, only four times has a governor received enough signatures to get on the ballot.”

A Newsom spokesman said Californians need to stay focused on ending the pandemic without, what he called, “the distraction of a hundred-million-dollar, hyperpartisan Republican recall circus.”

As recently as December, Newsom’s ratings were good. The Public Policy Institute of California reported that he had a 58% approval rating in October and December, measuring him on jobs and economic performance.

— Olivia Richard

Politics

Republicans Meet To Discuss Breaking Away From Pro-Trump Members Of Their Party

Updated

Published

Protesters gather at the U.S. Capitol Building on January 06, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

The Senate vote to acquit former President Trump in his impeachment trial has some Republicans talking about how to strengthen the GOP’s anti-Trump faction, or possibly breaking away to form a new center-right party.

A number of current and former Republican officials held a Zoom call last week to discuss these issues.

Present on the call was California Assemblyman Chad Mayes, who switched his party affiliation from Republican to Independent more than a year ago.

“What I got out of that call is that there is a deep hunger in this country, and a deep hunger within leadership, saying, ‘Enough is enough — we’ve got to start putting our country before the party,’” Mayes said.

Other participants in the call reportedly included former officials from the Reagan, George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush, and Trump administrations.

— Olivia Richard


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