Newsom spotlights COVID, the issue that sparked the California recall, as he fights to save his job

In the closing days leading up to next Tuesday’s California recall election, Gov. Gavin Newsom and his allies appear to be going all in focusing on the coronavirus pandemic as the embattled Democratic governor fights to keep his job steering the nation’s most populous state.

Newsom’s been showcasing his efforts to combat the coronavirus, the worst global pandemic in a century, touting California’s high COVID vaccination rate and warning of what may happen if he’s replaced by a conservative Republican in the governor’s office. By doing so, the governor is shining a spotlight on the very issue that sparked the recall effort against him over a year ago, when accusations that Newsom mishandled the Golden State’s response to the coronavirus triggered the push to oust him.

"MILESTONE: More than 80% of eligible Californians have at least one dose of the #COVID19 vaccine & we continue to lead the nation with 48M shots in arms. Now, we’re in a pandemic of the unvaccinated as they fill up hospitals & ICUs. Vaccines are how we end this pandemic," the governor’s office tweeted last week, using their official Twitter account.