After five weeks of counting, the certified Nov. 8 election results show the number of people voting for California Gov. Gavin Newsom was roughly 1.5 million votes behind the number who voted for him in last year’s recall.
Newsom in the recall election received almost 8 million votes but this year it was roughly 6.5 million.
“Inflation was likely first and foremost on many voters’ minds, and it wouldn't be surprising if they held it against those currently in office, especially if they're not perceived to be fighting against higher prices,” Adrian Moore, vice president at Reason Foundation and an economist, told the Northern California Record by email.
“High state taxes, high housing prices, the homelessness problem, plunging student test scores, and rising costs of college are just some of California's problems that could explain some erosion in Gov. Newsom's support,” Moore said. “The governor's lengthy, heavy-handed COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and rules also likely turned off some voters and caused others to move out of the state entirely.”
Questions continue about whether Newsom is more interested in running California or running for president.
“Gov. Newsom has seemingly gone out of his way to fight with Texas and Florida, and he's been urging national Democrats to be more combative,” Moore said. “Newsom's actions seem to signal he's interested in running for the White House if President Joe Biden doesn't run for reelection. But Newsom's team also knows a governor needs a record of success at home to run on if he wants to be president, so he should be focused on trying to improve California.”
Moore noted California could be dealing with more economic uncertainty in the coming months.
“The strong economic conditions and state budget surpluses of previous years have allowed Gov. Newsom and California's other political leaders to kick the can down the road on many major problems,” Moore said. “But with the Legislative Analyst's Office now warning of a potential $24 billion deficit in 2023-24, the state is going to need to cut costs, reduce red tape and regulation, increase efficiency, and utilize public-private partnerships to grapple with the challenges ahead.”
The California Secretary of State released the certified election results on Dec. 16.