The pandemic fueled the recall election. Now it may save Gavin Newsom

MODESTO — When Don Doud voted for Gavin Newsom to become California’s governor in 2018, he didn’t know much about the former San Francisco mayor and lieutenant governor except that he was a fellow Democrat.

That changed in the early months of the coronavirus pandemic, as Newsom’s daily news conferences became appointment viewing for Doud, 75, a retired teacher from Modesto — just as they did for many other Californians.

Navigating the once-in-a-century crisis, the governor struck Doud as responsible and capable. So a year later, with Newsom’s strict pandemic response fueling a campaign to remove him from office before the end of his first term, there was no question Doud would oppose it.

“He did the right things. He tried to influence people to take the pandemic seriously,” Doud said during a double-masked visit to the county library in downtown Modesto on a recent Wednesday afternoon. “I’ve been pretty happy with him.”

California voters are returning their mail ballots for the Sept. 14 recall election as the state grapples with a resurgent fourth wave of the coronavirus that has again pushed hospitals to capacity in some rural areas. But an issue that once seemed like it could be Newsom’s biggest liability is suddenly looking like the thing that could save his governorship.

In the final weeks of the recall contest, Newsom is leaning into his role as the man behind a new round of mask mandates and vaccine requirements, despite the criticism they have generated from the Republican candidates seeking to replace him.

While leading contenders promise to overturn his orders and even block local public health officials from adopting their own, Newsom’s closing message for Democratic voters is a dire picture of the alternative if he is removed from office. Read more >>>