White House backs California Gov. Newsom as recall effort gains

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Amid a surging effort to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom, the White House Tuesday threw its support behind the California Democrat.

"In addition to sharing a commitment to a range of issues with [Gavin Newsom] from addressing the climate crisis to getting the pandemic under control, [President Biden] clearly opposes any effort to recall [Gavin Newsom]," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Twitter Tuesday.

Psaki’s comments come as the recall vote has gained traction, with over 1.4 million signatures collected so far – just shy of the 1.5 million needed by March 17, to trigger a mid-year recall vote.

NEWSOM'S APPROVAL RATINGS FALL IN CALIFORNIA AS RECALL THREAT INTENSIFIES

Though while California Republicans continue to add their names to the growing list of supporters, it appears unlikely that Newsom will actually be forced from office.

A poll released last week by the Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies, found that of the 10,000 registered voters in California surveyed, only 36 percent said they support the effort to oust Newsom.

Biden’s public support for the California Democrat is a nod at the national attention the recall attempt has garnered.

Political bigwigs like former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, both of whom continue to have broad shoulders in conservative circles, have endorsed the attempt.  

Newsom has faced a mounting backlash from Republicans for his strict response to the coronavirus pandemic, most recently placing the state under more restrictive measures when California saw a spike in coronavirus cases in December.

The Golden State has reported the highest number of coronavirus cases in the country, and Los Angeles has become a hotbed for the virus as the county with the most cases and deaths from the virus per capita in the nation.

 California has reported over 3.3 million confirmed cases since the pandemic started, and nearly 44,500 deaths.

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Despite the fierce backlash from Republicans, cases across the state have drastically fallen since December after stay-at-home orders were ramped up, with just over 8,200 new cases reported Tuesday – a substantial decrease from the more than 53,700 cases reported on Dec. 15.

Newsom has refused to publically talk about the recall campaign and has ignored Fox News’ repeated requests for comment.