Will California’s political class try every trick in the book to undermine the Recall? Yes. Can they stop it from happening? No.
They cannot contain the desire for change that is sweeping our state. I’ve spent the last 12 and a half days (300 hours) mostly on the road and have now held 25 Recall events, traveling as far south as San Diego and as far North as Yreka, miles from the Oregon border.
The events are electric. The energy and enthusiasm is unlike anything I’ve seen. This movement isn’t just about firing America’s worst governor. It’s about saving America’s greatest state.
It’s about reviving those forgotten words from our Declaration of Independence: the consent of the governed.
And it has so many heroes. I met a Recall volunteer named Bill who’s gathered 5,700 signatures. I’ve spoken with a number of people who signed the Recall as their first act as citizens and a number of 18-year-olds who signed as their first act as voters.
Some have kindly asked about my own role in the Recall if it qualifies. I’ll defer to what I told POLITICO:
POLITICO caught up with Kiley Tuesday on the road for his book tour, which has taken him to 25 stops around the state. He said many Californians are watching other states relax mask mandates and reopen schools, and they’re frustrated and angry.
“I talk to a lot of people on this tour…a lot of Democrats,’’ he told us. “And the thing I hear most — and this is what I think makes the recall powerful — is that they’ve never been involved in politics before, they’ve never paid much attention to it. And now they’re out gathering signatures, and recruiting their friends. I think that’s a fundamental change.”
What would he have done? Kiley said he “wouldn’t have issued a school closures order in the first place.” Spoken like a governor, you might say (and publishing a book like one, too). Yes, Kiley has been buzzed about as a possible GOP candidate, should the recall qualify. But Kiley told us, “I’m not planning on it now.’’ He said he’ll “look at how the field shapes up,’’ but for right now, his plan “is to relentlessly campaign for the recall.”
As far as the signature count: 1.9 million is not yet official, but look for an announcement sometime today.