Liberal activists are attempting to save Governor Gavin Newsom from being kicked out of office by the California electorate in September. They are doing this by focusing on an issue that has historically energized conservative voters: abortion rights.
Democrats are Fear-Mongering Over Abortion Rights
Fearing massive voter apathy, liberals and their supporters are banging home the point that a Republican governor might overrule abortion rights legislation and cut hospital financing. They also argue that a GOP governor will designate anti-abortion officials, judges, and legislators in a state that has long been at the top of the list of making it possible to abort pregnancies.
As ballot papers are shipped to the electorate over the coming weeks of the Sept. 14 recall vote, birth control rights organizations (such as abortion clinics, NARAL, and also the recently created Women Against Recall) are phone banking. They are also going door to door, uploading digital ads and messages, and hosting rallies with Newsom and other legislators.
To avoid blackouts for 2.5M Californians, Gov. @GavinNewsom issues emergency declaration allowing for burning of diesel, even as he moves forward with his plan to shut down Diablo Canyon nuclear plant, which provides power for 3M https://t.co/kd2Tgzm3yQ
— Michael Shellenberger (@ShellenbergerMD) August 22, 2021
Republicans have had better success over the years in energizing their constituency on the subject of abortions, and in particular, in mobilizing disaffected people during off-year campaigns.
Republicans Have Their Own Support
Rich anti-abortion organizations like Susan B. Anthony List, which backed Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020, are now on the ground in Georgia and Arizona. They are attempting to remove weak Democrat senators during next year’s midterms in order to shift control of the Senate.
Gavin Newsom wants charter schools gone. He wants kids to wear masks indefinitely. He’s threatening another school shutdown. Vote YES. pic.twitter.com/L51NWWphxQ
— Kevin Kiley (@KevinKileyCA) August 20, 2021
Abortion rights groups have also invested millions in voter registration efforts, but liberals have recently split. Some argue that the Democrats should avoid emphasizing abortions for fear of upsetting centrists and enabling GOP efforts to portray them as “child murderers,” whereas others have urged candidates to do so.
On the election trail, Newsom is emphasizing the importance of the vote for legal abortion. He visited with Planned Parenthood on Wednesday evening to praise his history of preserving reproductive freedom, while also warning about the dangers of an anti-abortion government. He explained that the governor has a line-item decision. “
Here's Why Gavin Newsom is TERRIFIED of Larry Elder https://t.co/GSfAUvtT5b
— Dinesh D'Souza (@DineshDSouza) August 23, 2021
Newsom specifically stated that his primary rival, Larry Elder, a Republican talk show broadcaster, “doesn’t trust in Roe.” Roe was “among the worst rulings that the Supreme Court ever bestowed,” Elder stated in a July news interview with California-based KQED.
Planned Parenthood, NARAL, as well as other pro-Newsom organizations are working around the clock to spread this argument. They see it as vital to keeping Newsom in office as governor.
As per political donations reported by the secretary of state, Planned Parenthood has given more than $12,000 so far, with NARAL contributing $10,000 to derail the recall. Women Against the Recall is also organizing, claiming access to abortion as one of the main reasons for keeping Newsom in power.
