Since an exploratory committee announced earlier this month to challenge California Gov. Gavin Newsom, former San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer has raised more than $ 1 million, a figure that Faulconer’s campaign manager says is a sign that Californians are hungry. towards new leadership.
Faulconer, who was the Republican Mayor of San Diego between 2014 and 2020, launched the committee as a petition to remind Newsom that his handling of the coronavirus pandemic was gaining momentum. On January 31, the organizers of the recall say they have collected more than 1.2 million signatures out of the required 1.5 million. Their deadline is March 17th.
Faulconer’s campaign manager Stephen Puetz told Fox News on Sunday that if a Republican has a chance to oust a Democratic governor in California, it’s Faulconer.
San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer takes part in the San Diego Pride Parade at Balboa Park on July 14, 2018, in San Diego, California.
(Getty Images)
“During his time as mayor, (Faulconer) was known as the only big-city Republican mayor in the country. And he was known as someone who could get things done,” Faulconer said. He was the only mayor of a major California city to bring homelessness back two years in a row. He made a pledge to pave more than 500 miles of streets. the whole city paved. And all without levying taxes. ”
Since the launch of the reconnaissance committee, Faulconer’s team has reached out to a broad spectrum of potential supporters in California, Puetz said, including a range of grassroots organizers, political decision-makers, state legislators, regional leaders such as district attorneys and county regulators. as major donors and “ordinary Californians”.
“Whether it’s Republican donors or party activists or Democrats, or just a little sick of the one-party structure, people are hungry for an alternative,” Faulconer said. “People are hungry for a check and balance in Sacramento.”
Faulconer, a moderate Republican city councilor, was elected mayor of San Diego in early 2014 in a special election that came about through the resignation of Democrat Bob Filner over sexual harassment allegations.
San Diego had the distinction of being the largest city in the country with a Republican mayor, and Faulconer was the only Republican to run a major California city, where Democrats have a tight grip on statewide offices.
Despite fighting against a Latino Democrat, and despite being outnumbered by unions by about $ 5 million in reelection, Faulconer won with 42% of the Latino vote and 30% of Democrats who supported him.
CALIFORNIA GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM MAKES THREATS TO FAMILY, BUSINESSES, RESEARCH REQUESTS: REPORTS
Faulconer’s ability to do that, said Puetz, “offers hope to people who are paying attention, who say, ‘Well, of course we want to change something. Of course we want someone who can beat Gavin Newsom.”
“But there’s also the element of realism, that it has to be someone with a proven ability to win and then get things done. And frankly, he’s the only person in California who has done that right now,” said Puetz. “There is no other who has won a tough race… with a demographics comparable to the state of California, as Kevin Faulconer has done. And that’s part of the reason he has received so much support in recent weeks.”
The recall against Newsom – the sixth attempt since he took office in January 2019 – was initially dismissed as a crazy attempt by fringe activists. But the effort has steadily garnered mainstream support amid growing dissatisfaction with the governor’s handling of the pandemic. Critics – Republicans and even some Democrats – have accused the Newsom government of failing to make the data they supposedly relied on when closing orders for businesses and schools.
The recall saw a surge in support last November after Newsom was photographed dining at the upscale French laundry restaurant appearing to be in violation of some of his government’s own coronavirus guidelines.
But Puetz believes years of failed Democratic leadership in California also play a critical role in the recall’s success.
‘Is it just Gavin Newsom? No, it’s not just Gavin Newsom. It’s the whole system, the whole failed system in Sacramento, ”said Puetz. “We are one of the highest tax states in the country. And if we don’t even have to tax them, they still levy taxes … while giving away anywhere from $ 10 to $ 30 billion to criminals in unemployment fraud.”
Last week, the California state auditor found that the state agency overseeing unemployment benefits has paid out at least $ 10.4 billion in fraudulent claims as a result of “significant missteps and inaction.” The audit also found that the agency paid at least $ 810 million to inmates – more than double the amount previously thought. Newsom’s government has pointed the finger at the federal government and declined to share details of how often Newsom was notified of the issues.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“It doesn’t reflect the majesty and beauty of our state and its people,” said Puetz. “The state government doesn’t reflect who the people of California are, the innovation, the care, the smarts, the entrepreneurship. Gavin Newsom and the legislature of the one-party state are holding back the Californians. I think people will see that. And they are. already. ”
Morgan Phillips and Fox News’ Associated Press contributed to this report.