President Biden told California voters at a Long Beach rally in support of Gov. Gavin Newsom, who faces a remember elections, that the nation’s eyes are set on the Golden State as it makes a decision that will “reverberate around the world” and warned “that you keep Gavin Newsom as governor or you will get Donald Trump”.
The president described the top Republican candidate, conservative radio talk show host Larry Elder, as a “clone” of former President Trump and said California voters need to “send a message” to the rest of the country.
“The eyes of the nation are on you,” Biden said as he urged the crowd to vote “no” in the retreat. “The rest of America has you and me too,” he added.
The concentration of Mr. Biden for Newsom came out last night before the polls closed and meant a month of support for the California governor by National Democrats, including Vice President Kamala Harris, who campaigned against the withdrawal last week in the Bay Area.
Evan Vucci / AP
Biden said Newsom will help the administration “finish the job” by beating the COVID-19 pandemic and praised it for the state’s high vaccination rates. The president also said voting to support Newsom means California is sending a message to the rest of the country that it must act against climate change.
Polls earlier this summer had indicated a narrow race, but recent polls have shown that Newsom is increasing its lead and a said the senior advisor Monday night “there is no scenario in which we lose tomorrow.” A Berkeley IGS poll released Friday showed the “no” vote leading the “yes” vote between 60.1% and 38.5% of likely voters.
Earlier in the day, Biden and Newsom examined the damage caused by wildfires in the Sacramento area. This year more than two million acres of land have been burned in the state, in addition to the three million acres that burned during last year’s devastating fires.
In a briefing with Newsom and local officials, the president said he saw bipartisan support for his infrastructure proposal. He said he could not include all his climate proposals in this plan, so these are included in the conciliation package.
“Whether that happens or not, exactly how much I don’t know, but we’ll get it,” he said.
Biden also turned to a federal fire support agency in Idaho.
The appearance of Mr. Biden the night of the last full day of campaigning arrives a few days later than initially planned, but the withdrawal of US military forces from Afghanistan and the federal response a Hurricane Ida occupied much of Mr. Biden’s time in recent weeks.
In the words of a senior aide, the president was eager to campaign for Newsom, because “we will have the backs of the people who have had their backs.”
Administration officials stress that the election of withdrawal should be treated as a political anomaly and not provoke a broader discussion about what the results could mean for next year’s midterm elections, when Democrats are expected to lose control of the House and fight to win in other key governments. or contests in the Senate.
The last retreat was held 18 years ago when an unpopular Democratic governor, Gray Davis, lost to Arnold Schwarzenegger, arguably the GOP’s biggest name in a much larger candidate field.
“It’s not an apple-to-apple comparison,” this senior aide said.
But a Newsom victory is likely to tell Democrats elsewhere that opposing the pandemic policy proposed by the GOP could help gain grassroots voters and win independents next year. For weeks, Newsom has argued over the strain and in publicity that responsibility for California’s response to the pandemic, wildfires and other key issues to Republican candidates like radio talk show host Larry Elder could be too risky. Recent polls show that the strategy may be working, as opposition to the withdrawal – and removal of Newsom – outweighs support for expelling it.