California’s gubernatorial recall election will move forward.
Just when it will happen remains anyone’s guess.
Dr. Shirley Weber, the secretary of state, announced on Wednesday that only 43 people removed their signatures from petitions calling for Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recall.
The 1,719,900 remaining verified signatures still met the state’s recall election threshold, which is 12% of the votes cast in the previous election for that office. The 2021 recall required just shy of 1.5 million signatures.
It could be a while before state voters head to the polls to determine whether Newsom, a first-term Democrat elected in 2018, will remain in office.
The Department of Finance must now conduct a review of the recall election’s potential costs, submitting an estimate to state officials no later than Aug. 5. The Joint Legislative Budget Committee will have 30 days to review and comment, and then the Secretary of State will certify the signatures.
Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis must set an election date within no more than 80 days of certification.
Fifty-one candidates have filed a Statement of Intention to run in the recall. Among the Republicans running are 2018 gubernatorial nominee John Cox, former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, former Rep. Doug Ose and Olympic decathlete and reality TV star Caitlyn Jenner.
Only once has California recalled a sitting governor. In 2003, actor Arnold Schwarzenegger ran as a Republican and defeated incumbent Democratic Gov. Gray Davis in a recall election.
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