SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) 鈥� California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday emphatically aimed at kicking him out of office early, a contest the Democrat framed as part of a national battle for his party鈥檚 values in the face of the coronavirus pandemic and continued threats from 鈥淭rumpism.鈥�
Newsom bolted to a quick victory boosted by healthy turnout in the overwhelmingly Democratic state. He cast it as a win for his handling of the pandemic and liberal issues, and it ensures the nation鈥檚 most populous state will remain in Democratic control as a laboratory for progressive policies.
鈥溾�楴o鈥� is not the only thing that was expressed tonight,鈥� Newsom said. 鈥淚 want to focus on what we said 鈥榶es鈥� to as a state: We said yes to science, we said yes to vaccines, we said yes to ending this pandemic.鈥�
With an estimated two-thirds of ballots counted, 鈥渘o鈥� on the question of was ahead by a 30-point margin. That lead was built on votes cast by mail and in advance of Tuesday鈥檚 in-person balloting, with a strong showing by Democrats. While likely to shrink somewhat in the days ahead as votes cast at polling places are counted, Newsom鈥檚 lead couldn鈥檛 be overcome.
Republican talk radio host Larry Elder almost certainly , an outcome that would have brought a polar opposite political worldview to Sacramento.
The recall turned on Newsom鈥檚 approach to the pandemic, including mask and vaccine mandates, and Democrats cheered the outcome as evidence voters approve of their approach. The race also was a test of whether opposition to former President Donald Trump and his right-wing politics remains a motivating force for Democrats and independents, as the party looks ahead to midterm elections next year.
Republicans had hoped for proof that would drive voters away from Democrats. The GOP won back four U.S. House seats last year, success that Republican leaders had hoped indicated revived signs of life in a state controlled by Democrats for more than a decade.
But a recall election is an imperfect barometer 鈥� particularly of national trends. Democrats outnumber Republicans nearly 2-to-1 in California, so the results may not translate to governors in toss-up states or reflect how voters will judge members of Congress next year.
Trump, who had largely stayed out of the contest, made in the closing days, claims echoed by Elder's campaign. Elder did not mention fraud as he addressed his supporters after the results were in.
鈥淟et鈥檚 be gracious in defeat. We may have lost the battle, but we are going to win the war,鈥� he said, later adding that the recall has forced Democrats to focus on issues such as homelessness and California鈥檚 high cost of living.
Newsom for months had likened the recall to efforts by Trump and his supporters to overturn the presidential election and a push in Republican-led states to .
鈥淒emocracy is not a football, you don鈥檛 throw it around. It鈥檚 more like 鈥� I don鈥檛 know 鈥� an antique vase,鈥� Newsom said after his win. 鈥淵ou can drop it, smash it into a million different pieces 鈥� and that鈥檚 what we鈥檙e capable of doing if we don鈥檛 stand up to meet the moment and push back.鈥�
He became the second governor in U.S. history to defeat a recall, cementing him as a prominent figure in national Democratic politics and preserving his prospects for a future run. Republican Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker survived a recall in 2012.
California voters were asked two questions: Should Newsom be recalled, and, if so, who should replace him? Only a handful of the 46 names on the replacement ballot had public recognition, but most failed to gain traction with voters.
Elder entered the race just two months ago and quickly rose to the top of the pack. But that allowed Newsom to turn the campaign into a choice between the two men, rather than a referendum on his performance.
Newsom seized on Elder鈥檚 opposition to the minimum wage and abortion rights as evidence he was outside the mainstream in California. The governor branded him 鈥渕ore extreme than Trump,鈥� while President Joe Biden, who , called him 鈥渢he closest thing to a Trump clone I鈥檝e ever seen.鈥�
Though the contest didn鈥檛 quite bring the circus-like element of California鈥檚 2003 recall 鈥� when voters replaced Democratic Gov. Gray Davis with Republican movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger 鈥� it featured quirky moments of its own.
Reality TV star and former Olympian Caitlyn Jenner entered the race but gained little momentum and left the state for part of the campaign to film a reality show in Australia. Businessman John Cox, who lost badly to Newsom in 2018, tried to spice up his campaign by hiring a live bear to join him, branding himself as the 鈥渂east鈥� to Newsom鈥檚 鈥渂eauty.鈥�
Newsom will soon be campaigning again; he's up for reelection next year.
, the Republican who launched the recall effort last year, cast it as a 鈥淒avid and Goliath鈥� battle and said it was telling that Newsom had called on national Democrats like Biden to 鈥渟alvage his damaged political career.鈥�
The president and other prominent Democrats offered Newsom support in the race鈥檚 closing days, while national Republican leaders largely kept the contest at arm鈥檚 length.
The recall needed 1.5 million signatures to make the ballot out of California's 22 million registered voters. It never would have come before voters if a judge hadn鈥檛 given organizers four extra months to gather signatures due to the pandemic. That decision came the same day Newsom attended a maskless dinner at the lavish French Laundry restaurant with lobbyists and friends, stirring outcry.
Supporters of the recall expressed frustration over monthslong business closures and restrictions that kept most children out of classrooms. Rising homicides, a homelessness crisis and an unemployment fraud scandal further angered Newsom鈥檚 critics.
But the broader public stayed on his side. Polling from the Public Policy Institute of California showed his approval rating remaining above 50% throughout the pandemic. With weeks to go, the institute鈥檚 poll showed 60% of Californians approved of Newsom鈥檚 handling of the pandemic.
The rise of the highly contagious delta variant led Newsom to frame the race as one of 鈥渓ife or death鈥� consequences. He pointed to Texas and Florida, which were seeing worsening surges as their Republican governors rejected mask and vaccine mandates, as cautionary tales for what California could become.
Newsom has been viewed as a potential White House contender since at least 2004, when he defied federal law to issue marriage licenses to LGBT couples as mayor of San Francisco. His victory maintained those prospects, though he will still have to navigate around the ambitions of Harris, who came up through San Francisco politics alongside Newsom.
He came to the contest with advantages. California鈥檚 electorate is less Republican, less white and younger than it was in 2003, when voters booted the Democratic Davis. Newsom was allowed to raise unlimited funds, dwarfing his competitors while flooding TV screens with advertising. Public worker unions and business and tech executives poured millions into his campaign.
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Associated Press writers Julie Watson in San Diego, Jocelyn Gecker in Lafayette, Don Thompson in Lincoln, Christopher Weber in Los Angeles and Adam Beam in Sacramento contributed.
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See AP's recall coverage:
Kathleen Ronayne And Michael R. Blood, The Associated Press