Former California Gov. Gray Davis said Monday he believes voters should forgive Gov. Gavin Newsom for the first-term Democrat's French Laundry "mistake" that helped fan the flames of the ongoing recall effort.
He said the governor's success will come down to how the state emerges from the pandemic. Explaining that elections are often about how voters feel, and with the potential for the recall election not until much later in the year, the ex-governor said the French Laundry controversy will be an afterthought by then.
"I think by the time the election occurs, people will be more interested in did they get their vaccinations, are their kids back in school, is the economy reopening," Gov. Davis told KCBS Radio. "Those are going to be the factors that kind of determine how they vote."
He said Gov. Newsom is right to focus all of his time informing voters on the state’s work to get more COVID-19 vaccine supply.
"I think his messaging is right today and will resonate more fully as people see with their own eyes that things are getting better," he added.
Another factor in all this is when former President Donald Trump will weigh in on the recall. It’s something the former governor said could actually provide a boost for Gov. Newsom, as many believe the Democrat's best strategy to keep his job is to tie the recall effort to the former president.
"I'm sure he can't resist, you know, in some form or fashion," he said. "It's going to remind voters, particularly Democrats and Independents, 'We saw that movie with Trump and we don't like how it ended.'"
Beyond the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Davis said the next challenge for the governor will be the state's wildfire season.
Davis, who served as governor of California from 1999 to 2003, was recalled himself and replaced with Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger in only the second successful recall effort in U.S. history.
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