This election is about turning around California – and stopping the rest of the country from turning intoCalifornia. That was my message as I took the debate stage against Gavin Newsom’s “Deputy Secretary” Jessica Morse. You can watch the full debate here.
I am grateful for everyone’s encouraging feedback about the debate, and I am hopeful that we are well-positioned to get across the finish line. Yet the Morse/Newsom operation is pulling out all the stops; Nancy Pelosi herself has just sent money to the campaign.
Meanwhile, a new PPIC poll shows sanity is around the corner. Prop. 36, our measure to make crime illegal again, is leading by a margin of 73 percent to 25 percent. The more Newsom campaigns against it, the more popular it becomes.
The same poll showed Newsom’s approval plummeting again, which is why he’s become such a drag on other Democrat candidates. This shows the impact of our efforts to expose Newsom’s failures: not only did his shadow campaign for President flop, but he might cost his party the House.
It also appears George Gascón will lose in a 30-point blowout. This too is a momentous turning point. Newsom appointed him to his first office, and Kamala endorsed him for his current office. He used those positions to unleashed chaos on LA and SF as district attorney.
Still, even as a wildly unpopular lame duck, Newsom’s capacity to harm Californians is astounding. Democrats and Republicans alike warned against his latest stunt to go after “big oil” with another mandate. He ignored them, and a refinery immediately shut down.
So now we’ll be importing more gas, meaning higher prices and a worse environmental impact. As if this weren’t enough, Newsom’s CARB board plans to raise gas prices by 65 cents three days after the election. A California turnaround is desperately needed – and perhaps in sight.