California Republican Party creates recall endorsement path
OAKLAND — The California Republican Party on Saturday created a process that will allow delegates to endorse one of the 24 Republicans running to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom, despite objections from some conservatives who say the party should not back anyone in the race.
Party leaders kept the bar for endorsement at 60 percent support from delegates and made it possible for them to vote “no endorsement,” which could mean the party ultimately does not back a single contender.
Republican candidates and party activists have jockeyed and lobbed accusations of impropriety for weeks. Out of the 24 Republicans, roughly a half-dozen are in the top tier based on experience or name identification, increasing the likelihood that the Republican vote will fracture several ways.
Delegates will meet virtually on Aug. 7 to decide on the endorsement, three days after five Republicans are scheduled to debate at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library in Yorba Linda.
Some Republicans believe the crowded field increases the incentive to coalesce behind a single candidate. But others believe doing so could create an appearance of favoritism that discourages turnout, squandering the grassroots energy that drove the recall qualification process and undercutting the primary goal of ousting Newsom.
Rivals of former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer also asserted that Faulconer’s allies in the party were working to bend the process to his advantage — particularly by lowering the bar for an endorsement — reflecting a widespread perception that Faulconer represents the establishment GOP pick. Many conservative party activists are wary of the centrist Faulconer, who has kept former President Donald Trump at arm’s length.
But Faulconer’s team shifted ahead of the vote to argue that the risk of party infighting outweighed the reward of a party nod.
“Having an intra-party Republican fight over the next two weeks does nothing but benefit Gavin Newsom,” campaign manager Stephen Puetz said ahead of Saturday’s vote. “Even if one person emerges, the net result is it’s much less likely [Newsom] gets recalled because it negatively impacts Republican intensity.”
Recall ballots have two questions: whether to recall Newsom, and who should replace him. A split vote for Newsom’s successor would not matter if a majority of voters choose to retain Newsom. There is no prominent Democrat on the ballot who could split the liberal vote and make it easier for a Republican to win with a plurality.