Preceding a recall election on Tuesday, the first in California since 2003, Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom warns that California might “be like Texas”, once Republicans successfully replace him.
Citing Texas’ recent controversial abortion law, Newsom said, “The whole idea that a constitutional right, the right to choose, the right to reproductive freedom, rights of women, now are under assault – what a remarkable moment it is in American history.”
The new Texas abortion law allows private individuals to file a charge against women who seek the procedure once medical professionals can detect cardiac activity in a fetus, which takes around six weeks. It took effect on Sept. 1 after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to block it.
Newsom also said his opponents from the Republican Party will follow the lead of Texas, Florida, and some other Republican-led states by banning mask and vaccine requirements despite the growing threat of another coronavirus surge. He said that the issue is “a matter of life and death” for Californians.
In the early days of the pandemic, Newsom imposed the nation’s first statewide shutdown. More recently, he approved the mandate that children should wear masks in school and that health care and state workers be vaccinated.
These, Newsom says, are distinctions that notably differ California under his leadership versus Republican states like Texas.
However, Texas governor Greg Abbott rebuffs Newsom in a tweet linking a Forbes report saying, “California is losing population to other states. Also, business HQs are leaving CA at a record pace. Americans moving to Texas more than any other state. We’re also # 1 in business relocations. Texas policies attract people more than any other state.”
According to Forbes, California’s population in 2020 had declined for the first time in history, costing it a seat in Congress. The population drop was reported by the state’s Department of Finance.
President Biden was expected to campaign for Newsom on Monday, following recent appearances by other Democrats such as Vice President Kamala Harris, a former U.S. senator from California, and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts,
Reports say that Newsom’s leading competitor is Larry Elder, a conservative Republican who opposes abortion and is seeking to become the state’s first Black governor.
