Four Republican candidates ragged on Gov. Gavin Newsom and trading shots at each other during the first televised recall debate on Wednesday.
Heavy hitters Larry Elder and Caitlyn Jenner declined to participate in the event, which was held at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library, while Newsom didn’t bother responding to his invitation.
John Cox, Kevin Faulconer, Kevin Kiley, and Doug Ose went after the governor and his fellow Democrats hard, universally panning the prolonged shutdown of restaurants and businesses during the pandemic, and skyrocketing housing costs.
“This used to be the state where anyone could get ahead. Now it’s the state that many can’t wait to leave behind, and our soaring housing costs are central to that,” jabbed Kiley, 36, a millennial state Assembly member.
Polls suggest Newsom challengers could have a shot, as public discontent grows over a recent surge of coronavirus cases and renewed mask mandates throughout most of the state.
GOP candidates focused on water storage, tax cuts, and restricting government growth as talking points, with Faulconer attacking the state’s recent health care coverage expansion to include illegal migrants, while Ose pledged to eradicate Newsom appointees, and Cox took aim at minimum wage.
“The real, true minimum wage … should be zero. It should be set between the employer and the employee,” he remarked.
The candidates eventually switched tactics from bashing Newsom’s policies to attacking each other. Ose called Faulconer, the former San Diego mayor, a “plastic man” over the city’s homelessness rate during his tenure, then he accused Faulconer of rigging the numbers.
Faulconer distinguished himself from the other three candidates by coming out as pro-vaccination, while Cox said people who had already caught the virus shouldn’t be required to get inoculated. Kiley put out that he believes vaccinations are a “personal choice.”
In response to the debate, Newsom’s spokesman Nathan Click jeered at the candidates.
“Each of them tried to do their best Larry Elder impression – the closest thing we have to Trump here in California and the clear front runner in the race,” he commented. “All of them said they wouldn’t lift a finger to protect Californians against the Delta variant or even require health care workers to prove their vaccination status. That’s pretty outrageous.”
Mail-in ballots will be sent out in two weeks, and voters will turn up at the polls on Sept. 14.
Hopefully, Biden will be next, no more crazy democrats.
Ummm… will the “election” be carried out with the same system that got Biden “elected”?
And why didn’t Bruce take part? Couldn’t decide on which dress to wear? The GOP is just as SICK as the Democrats are now.
Larry Elder would make a great Governor—he has common sense and would not sell California to the Communist Chinese—-
Larry Elder may have uncommon sense?
Seems to me that the indoctrinated masses have no sense at all and many smart people don’t know what to do?
Agree ! There is no way on earth I would ever vote for someone who doesn’t know what sex they are for goodness sake. Sex change is rididulous1
Did not hear about any debate, but I am slowly increasing the chance I will vote for Larry Elder
Mr. Elder is the man I love and the only true candidate that can take on the super majority and educate young liberals on how their ideas are destructive to everyone.
Hooray Go Elder Go
Illegals deserve nothing but a trip back to where they come from at the expense of that country who let them come.
Cant wait to see what Elder does next debate
Outrageous that They don’t force health care workers to take the shot then force them to share their HIPPA information with anyone who asks? No, that’s FREEDOM.
They are sending out masses of ballots, so in an election that would otherwise be low turnout, the Dems will do what they did in the national election and harvest them for their guy.