A Panicked Gavin Newsom Attacks Larry Elder, Leading Contender in California Recall

Califorina Gov. Gavin Newsom attacked conservative radio talk show host Larry Elder on Thursday during a Zoom call with campaign volunteers, targeting the candidate who is the leading contender to replace Newsom in many polls.

Newsom’s attack acknowledges Elder, a popular figure who has never run for public office before, as the leading threat to his tenure. Several recent polls show voters increasingly prepared to recall Newsom; the most recent showed a majority of likely California voters were prepared to remove Newsom from office — a reversal from earlier this year.

The Los Angeles Times reported:

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday attacked the Republican topping the field of candidates trying to replace him in the September recall election, calling conservative talk show host Larry Elder a climate change denier who would restrict abortion rights and end the minimum wage if elected.
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For months Newsom has criticized the recall effort as the handiwork of far-right supporters of former President Trump and a Republican Party intent on undermining his election in 2018, shying away from personal attacks on the candidates hoping to take his place in Sacramento.