California
Governor Gavin Newsom retained his seat on Tuesday after what could have become
a pitched recall election. While nearly everyone expected Newsom to win in
Democrat-dominated California, the contest was not as easy as the results
showed. What turned the tide for the California governor was an ominous
four-worded message — “This recall is close”.

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On August 5
morning, Gavin Newsom’s campaign sent out these four words in a fundraising
email. The prospect of having a Republican governor in California was enough to
shock the complacent Democrats into action. This, in many ways, became the
turning point for Newsom’s campaign and helped energise California’s voters who
had until then simply expected a Democratic win.

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On Tuesday, Gavin
Newsom turned back all attempts to get his to retire. Incomplete returns showed
him headed towards a landslide victory, according to the Associated Press.
Gavin Newsom’s strategist Sen Clegg said earlier this week, “The base may start
out asleep…but you can wake up the base”.

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And wake up the
base they did. Newsom’s victory will provide the Democratic governor a juicy
comeback story which could further widen his base before the 2022 elections.
The unflinching focus on the narrative of the threat of a Republican
governor-led California “became a self-fulfilling prophecy, where the more you
talk about being close, the more (Democrats) pay attention,” said Michael Trujillo,
a Los Angeles-based consultant for the Democrats.

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Democratic voters
in California were also aware to the fact that losing the governor’s seat would
trouble national fundraising plans. This prompted many minority voters to take
caution and vote against the election of a Republican governor.

Another aspect
that helped Gavin Newsom race to victory was that the person contesting against
him was Larry Elder, a conservative talk show host who had lent support to
Donald Trump and therefore estranged to the California electorate. Larry Elder
could well have become California’s first Black governor but his
conservative-libertarian values did not sit well with the state’s left-leaning
voters.

(With inputs from Associated Press)