Just five days ahead of the recall election, Gov. Gavin Newsom swung through Fresno to drum up support among local labor union advocates in an effort to remain in office.
Newsom held a rally at the Carpenters Local 701 hall in west Fresno with dozens of union members, as well as labor activist Dolores Huerta, who introduced the governor.
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“It’s up to all of us. We have had a wonderful, great governor,” Huerta said. “We want to make sure that those forces that are against everything that we value, that want to do away with minimum wage, that don’t care about women’s rights – they don’t care about the rights of immigrants they don’t care about workers’ rights – and the only way that we can keep them from taking over our state is to make sure that we keep Gov. Gavin Newsom in office.”
The governor took the podium and attacked Republicans around the country and saying the recall is in the same vein as the events of Jan. 6 at the U.S. Capitol.
“We’re at a point in our nation’s history where I never thought we’d be, where many folks are quite literally debating democracy. Where you have well-known national news pundits flying to Hungary celebrating authoritarians. Where you have a big lie that is perpetuated and promulgated every single day on major national networks,” Newsom said.
“Where you had an insurrection on Jan. 6. Where you see every single day the efforts of Republican backed legislatures, Republican governors across this country suppressing voter rights. And now just in the last week the notion that Roe v. Wade is under assault and is at risk, and women’s freedoms and constitutional protections are at risk.”
With Republican candidate Larry Elder continuing to lead the polls in the recall, Newsom spent a significant amount of time going after the conservative radio host.
“Larry Elder wants to privatize Social Security,” Newsom said. “He wants to privatize your Medicare. He wants to cut Medicaid in the State of California.”
Newsom also equated Elder and his supporters to former President Donald Trump.
“One thing we’ve learned the hard way is we’ve defeated Trump, but we haven’t defeated Trumpism,” Newsom said. “We have work to do, including here in the great State of California, and we have that opportunity in the next five days.”
Congressman Devin Nunes also found himself a target of Newsom’s, as the governor claimed the Tulare Republican is behind the recall effort.
“Devin Nunes is behind this,” Newsom said. “Folks like Newt Gingrich are behind this. Guys like Mike Huckabee – don’t even get me started with Mike Huckabee – folks like Rudy Guliani, the RNC, they’re all behind this because they see this as an opportunity to take back the House of Representatives.”
Regarding President Joe Biden’s planned visit on Monday, the day before the recall, Newsom said the president “recognizes his agenda is at risk in this country” if a Republican takes over as governor.
