41 candidates on list for California recall election

Forty-one candidates qualified to be on the ballot for California’s September recall election to determine the fate of Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), who is facing a push to oust him from his post.

The California Secretary of State’s office on Saturday released a notice to candidates that listed the names and political parties of 41 individuals vying for the governorship.

The last day candidates could file paperwork to run in the recall race was July 16, ABC 10 in Sacramento noted.

One name that was notably left off the list was Larry Elder. The conservative radio host entered the race on July 12, but was not among the 41 candidates listed as meeting the requirements by the secretary of state.

An Elder campaign spokeswoman said in a statement to The Associated Press she expected him to be on a final list of candidates issued next week.

“Our campaign submitted every document required by the Secretary of State and the Los Angeles County Registrar” Ying Ma said.

Californians will head to the polls on Sept. 14 to cast their ballot in the recall election. The vote was scheduled earlier this month by Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis (D), who announced that the election would cost $276 million.

The September vote will serve as a culmination of a years-long effort by a number of Newsom critics pushing to oust him from office.

The effort to recall the governor hit a pivotal benchmark last month, when the secretary of state confirmed that the mission had enough signatures to trigger an election.

The recall effort received a total of 1,719,900 signatures, which exceeded the 1,495,709 signatures needed to trigger an election.

A petition to recall Newsom was first established in February 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic spread rapidly throughout the nation and caused states to enter lockdowns, according to ABC 7 in Los Angeles. The petitioners said at the time they were disappointed with how Newsom dealt with issues like immigration, homelessness and property taxes.

Frustration with the governor, however, escalated amid the pandemic, when some Californians criticized Newsom for his reopening effort and dining at a fancy restaurant while the state was still under tight restrictions and most residents were being urged to stay home.

The Hill reached out to Newsom’s campaign for comment.