Last Updated on August 2, 2021 by BVN
Breanna Reeves |
After suing California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber for being left off the 2021 Recall Ballot, Conservative talk radio host Larry Elder, 69, will be listed on the official recall ballot in September.
On July 21, Sacramento Superior Court Judge Laurie M. Earl ruled in favor of Elder, who challenged Weber’s decision to leave him off the recall ballot. Weber’s office initially stated that Elder’s tax filings were insufficient.
“Victory! My next one will be on Sept. 14 at the ballot box,” Elder tweeted after the judge ruled.
Judge Earl ruled that Elder was not required to submit five years worth of tax returns with the state in this recall election. In May, Newsom stated that those challenging him in the recall election would have to submit five years of federal tax returns in compliance with Senate Bill No. 27 which Newsom signed into law in 2019. The law was initially put in place to compel then President Donald Trump to release his tax returns.
The bill states, “The Legislature also finds and declares that the income tax returns of candidates for Governor provide voters with essential information regarding the candidate’s potential conflicts of interest, business dealings, financial status, and charitable donations.”
Why SB 27 Does Not Apply
However, the upcoming recall election is a special election, not a primary election — a specification that allowed Elder to be included on the certified list of 46 candidates on the ballot. Elder will be listed as a Republican candidate along with former Olympian and reality television personality Caitlyn Jenner, former Mayor of San Diego Kevin Faulconer and John Cox, who ran against Newsom in 2018.
The ruling also allowed entry of other candidates who initially failed to make the list.
“In light of today’s hearing where the court determined that Election Code 8902 did not apply to the recall election, we have added Joe Symmon and Kevin Kaul to the certified list of recall candidates,” according to a press release from the office of the Secretary of State.
According to a new poll launched by Emerson College Polling, California voters are now split on the decision of whether to recall Governor Newsom or not.
“On the question of who they would vote for if Newsom was recalled, a majority (53%) of voters are undecided on a candidate. Within the field of candidates that currently have support, conservative talk radio host Larry Elder leads at 16%, followed by businessman John Cox, at 6%, and former San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer, at 6%,” the report noted.
Spencer Kimball, Director of Emerson College Polling, said in the report, “If Governor Newsom is able to survive the recall, he will have his work cut out for him in 2022 as 58% of voters think it is time for someone new, while only 42% say they would re-elect Governor Newsom.
”Breanna Reeves is a reporter in Riverside and uses data-driven reporting to cover issues that affect the lives of Black Californians. Breanna joins Black Voice News as a Report for America Corps member. Previously, Breanna reported on activism and social inequality in San Francisco and Los Angeles, her hometown. Breanna graduated from San Francisco State University with a bachelor’s degree in Print & Online Journalism. She received her master’s degree in Politics and Communication from the London School of Economics. Contact Breanna with tips, comments or concerns at breanna@voicemediaventures.com or via twitter @_breereeves.