Un voting blocs
Among likely voters, however, it’s a closer race: 45% support Newsom, 36% back the recall and 19% are unsure.Īs of July 16, 13% of the 22 million registered voters in California were 25 or younger. In a poll released last week by the progressive advocacy group Courage California, 43% of 18-29 year-olds surveyed said they would vote no on the recall, 26% said they support the recall and 32% said they are undecided. Still, the youngest eligible Californians are least likely of any age group to register, or to vote. Analysts attribute some of the rise in youth participation last year to the availability of mail-in ballots making it easier to vote, as well as outreach and education. Young voters, especially those of color, supported Democrat Joe Biden by big margins in decisive swing states. Newsom and fellow Democrats are counting on turnout numbers similar to the November 2020 presidential election, when 54% of Californians ages 18 to 29 voted, a jump of 17 percentage points from 2016, according to the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University. In a recall election that will likely be decided by which side turns out its base at the highest rates, young, energized voters like Valdivia represent an important voting bloc for Newsom if he hopes to survive. “So at least in my circle, they’re gonna vote. “In my circle, I told them all: ‘You know, you gotta get out to vote,’” said Valdivia, a junior at UCLA studying political science. Gavin Newsom’s lead: Just vote “no” on removing the governor and skip the second question on replacement candidates - and has been spreading that message to his close friends, parents and grandparents. While the ballot has two questions, he plans to follow Gov. And after turning 18 in July, he’s excited to cast his first-ever vote in the Sept. He’s also a policy director at Project Superbloom, a PAC focused on training young people to run for the state Legislature in 2022. His interest in environmental justice led Valdivia to join the Kern hub of the Sunrise Movement, a progressive organization focused on passing a federal Green New Deal. “My neighbor is an oil company where I live, back home in Bakersfield,” he said. As a homebound 17-year-old, Valdivia started logging into Kern County Board of Supervisors meetings to understand how his community became one of California’s largest hubs for oil drilling. Newsom from office?Īlex Valdivia began paying more attention to politics over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. Part 6 Are there enough ‘mad moms’ in California to recall Gov.Part 5 Newsom’s stimulus left out many retirees, veterans and disabled Californians.Part 4 Are young voters the key to Gavin Newsom surviving the recall?.Part 3 Are small business owners angry enough at Gavin Newsom to throw him out of office?.Part 2 Could Latino voters make the difference in whether Newsom survives California’s recall election?.Part 1 How much will California’s EDD scandal cost Newsom in the recall election?.