THE BUZZ: GROUNDHOG DAY — It’s recall season in California once again as conservative activists look to put Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom back on the defensive. Critics of the governor announced today that they are launching another recall attempt against him, hoping to capitalize on voters’ frustrations with the state’s significant budget deficit and to snuff Newsom’s political star before he can run for president. As our colleague Christopher Cadelago scooped this morning, recall organizers plan to formally serve Newsom with recall papers when his office opens today, the first step in what’s likely a long road to try to qualify for the ballot. The news comes less than 24 hours after Newsom announced that his PAC will wage another red-state advertising blitz over abortion and unveiled a TV ad accusing conservative officials of holding women hostage by imposing restrictions on their travel for reproductive care. Newsom handily defeated the last recall election against him in 2021, though the election was costly and sucked up the oxygen in Sacramento for months. The new effort is led by Rescue California and its campaign director Anne Dunsmore, who was involved last time. Retired Yolo County sheriff’s sergeant and conservative activist Orrin Heatlie also is part of the conservative coalition. Newsom has faced at least five other recall attempts, but none prior to 2021 came close to making the ballot. The recall déjà vu comes as Republicans seek to counter Newsom’s effectiveness as a top Democratic surrogate for the reelection campaign of President Joe Biden. Dunsmore said Newsom has “abandoned the state to advance his presidential ambitions.” She said “blowing up” Newom’s national efforts for Democrats is an added benefit, though not their chief motive. Newom has become a fixture on the national stage. His new ad, which he debuted Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” and shared with POLITICO, shows a young woman handcuffed to a hospital bed as she cries out “help, help!” The ad will air in Tennessee and is aimed at calling out proposed legislation that makes it a felony offense to help an underage woman obtain an out-of-state abortion without parental permission. “Don’t let them hold Tennessee women hostage,” the ad’s narrator says. Newsom has increasingly gone on the offensive in red states, including running abortion-related TV spots and billboards in states like Florida, Texas and Ohio. The ad blitz has come as Newsom seeks to build his national political profile as one of Democrats’ top offensive players. He’s framed his national outreach as necessary pushback to what he calls a MAGA-led assault on basic freedoms, citing Republican efforts to outlaw abortion, contraception, ban books in schools and curtail rights for LGBTQ people. “We’ve defined the lines of this debate,” Newsom told “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker. “We’ve been on the offense, not on the defense. The Republican Party is on the defense on this issue.” The recall attempt has a ways to go, and Newsom could parlay it for some quick cash. But it could put him more on the defensive in his home state, where his approval rating in some public polls has begun to show signs of sagging in recent months due, in large part, to voter frustration over persistent problems in the state as he burnishes his profile. In fact, one poll from November directly linked his outside California activity to his shrinking approval rating. Nathan Click, a spokesperson for Newsom, suggested the governor isn’t taking the challenge lightly. He said the governor is being targeted because he’s a surrogate for Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Republicans, if nothing else, will likely savor the chance to distract and even lock down one of Democrats’ top guns. MORE HIGHLIGHTS from Newsom’s “MTP” interview: On chatter about him running for president in 2024 instead of Biden: “It's a damning conversation, frankly, the other side wants us to have … I'm deeply mindful of the anger machine and all the entertainment industry out there on Fox and elsewhere that love ginning this stuff up.” On concerts about Biden’s age and mental acuity: “I’ve seen him up close, I’ve seen him from afar, but here’s my point: It’s because of his age that he’s been so successful. It’s because of the wisdom and character that’s developed over years.” More here. On Democrats’ odds in the November election: “We continue to win. We continue to outperform. Donald Trump is a big part of that and he’s going to be the nominee of the Republican Party.” On Trump and House Republicans killing a border deal: “The Republican Party is responsible today, now, for the conditions that persist because of their unwillingness to work with this president who went farther than any Democratic president in my lifetime.” GOOD MORNING. Happy Monday. Thanks for waking up with Playbook. Now you can text us at 916-562-0685 — save it as “CA Playbook” in your contacts now. Or drop us a line at lkorte@politico.com and dgardiner@politico.com, or on X — @DustinGardiner and @Lara_Korte. WHERE’S GAVIN? Back in California after a busy week in Washington. | 
No comments:
Post a Comment