President Joe Biden had a stark warning for overwhelmingly blue California on the eve of the state’s gubernatorial recall election.
In his stump speech for Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) in Long Beach, California on Monday, Biden emphasized the consequences of failing to vote against the recall, which would allow far-right radio host and leading GOP challenger Larry Elder to become governor.
“This is not hyperbole: The eyes of the nation are on California,” the President said. “Because the decision you’re about to make isn’t just going to have a huge impact on California, it’s going to reverberate around the nation and quite frankly, not a joke, around the world.”
Biden told the crowd that Elder “is the closest thing to a Trump clone that I have ever seen in your state.”
“He’s the clone of Donald Trump. Can you imagine him being governor of this state?” he asked. “You can’t. Let. That. Happen.”
Elder — who would win the election if only less than half of the votes say “no” to kicking Newsom out of office — has a record of extremist right-wing beliefs: He believes Roe v. Wade ought to be overturned, opposes a minimum wage, described Donald Trump as “almost God-sent,” and has argued that “women know less than men about political issues, economics and current events.”
Additionally, Elder is being investigated for alleged domestic violence. The candidate has denied the allegations.
The polls are looking good for Newsom, with a nearly 16 percent lead of voters saying they oppose the recall versus those who say they support it, per FiveThirtyEight.
Meanwhile, Elder has been attempting to sow doubt over the election results a la ex-President Donald Trump. The California Republican refused to commit to accepting the results on Monday, and his campaign is boosting a website that bizarrely concedes Elder’s defeat and claims that Newsom was reinstated through voter fraud.
More than seven million ballots have already been mailed in, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Polls will close at 8 p.m. local time.
Watch Biden below:
Biden warns Californians that Larry Elder, Gov. Gavin Newsom's top GOP challenger, is "the clone of Donald Trump." pic.twitter.com/Bp2Zi7qqWH
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) September 14, 2021
