United States Vice President Kamala Harris, who is a former Senator from California, returned to her home state on Wednesday to campaign for governor Gavin Newsom, who is up for a recall election later this month.

The two Californians seemed to direct the upcoming recall elections as a tussle between the state’s progressive values and the Republican party. A crowd of about 200 volunteers and members of labour unions gathered at the campaign site, which was located in San Leandro in the Bay Area.

United States Vice President Kamala Harris said from the podium, “California, let us send a message to the world that these are the things we stand for, these are the things we fight for, and we will not give up”, according to an Associated Press report.

She added, “You have to understand that this recall campaign is about California, and it’s about a whole lot more.”

The visit by Harris, a longtime friend and political ally of Newsom, came with six days left in the recall campaign. More than 6 million of the state’s 22 million registered voters already have cast ballots by mail. Voting ends Tuesday.

Democrats hold a 2-to-1 registration edge over Republicans, making the recall a decidedly uphill battle for the GOP. A poll by the Public Policy Institute of California released last week showed a slight majority of Californians approve of Newsom’s job performance and a larger majority — 58% — oppose the recall.

Before Vice President Harris got up on the stage, Newsom said to the crowd, “My name may appear on the ballot, but we’re all on the ballot. Our principles, our values are on the ballot”, Associated Press reported.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said earlier this week that United States President Joe Biden will also visit California later this week to rally alongside Newsom, a member of the Democratic party.

Former United States President Barack Obama also spoke out in favour of Newsom on Twitter and wrote, “California! You’ve got a big choice to make by September 14, and everything is on the line. Your vote could be the difference between protecting our kids or putting them at risk; helping Californians recover or taking us backwards. Vote “no” on the Republican recall.”

(With AP inputs)