Total Recall: The California GOP’s Plan to Make Democracy Obsolete Is Coming to Your State
Based on current polling, Newsom is likely to receive far more votes to remain in office than any of the candidates vying to take his place. But that doesn’t mean he will remain the governor. Right now, the top contender to replace Newsom is Larry Elder, a Trump-loving radio host who works for the sprawling Christian content juggernaut Salem Media.
Currently, Elder leads the massive field with 23.5 percent, according to a polling average compiled by the statistics website FiveThirtyEight. The same average puts Newsom narrowly defeating the recall attempt among likely voters 52 percent to 43.7 percent, a split that is undoubtedly much too close for comfort for Newsom.
The math is astonishing. If Newsom fails to beat the recall, the totally unqualified Elder could become the governor with ballots cast by less than 6 million of the state’s 24.9 million eligible voters, nowhere close to a majority or even a plurality.
While most people would regard this situation as absurd and utterly undemocratic, it is exactly what California Republicans want. And whether they succeed or not, recall schemes will almost certainly become a lodestar for conservatives nationwide as they seek every possible avenue to power in order to avoid moderating their rigid and unpopular ideological agenda.
Total recall: The California GOP’s plan to make democracy obsolete is coming to your state