This Tuesday, California had a "recall" election because enough crazed Republicans thought they should waste taxpayer dollars on trying to get Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom out of office before a regular election in 2022 because of "too restrictive" COVID policies, among other things (although my rural county isn't doing great, California currently has one of the lowest COVID rates in the country because of our leadership, political views, and actions of our citizens).
I have long stopped watching polls after 2016 and pretty much figure any election outcome is a possibility, however unlikely, and despite my own personal feelings and investment about the importance of one far preferred outcome ("TELL ME WHEN IT'S OVER" is how I approach elections now, and my sister-in-law Katherine was the one who texted me in relief on Tuesday night).
Gavin Newsom is far from perfect (as are most candidates, leaders, and humans). However, as Joe Biden often says, "Don't compare me to the Almighty, compare me to the alternative." Newsom's main opponent was a misogynistic conservative radio host, Larry Elder, who could have done a lot of damage in our state with his right-wing fringe views in just a short term.
While mail-in ballots are still being totaled (in this state we have permanent vote-by-mail options even when not in a pandemic), the votes have come in as a landslide victory for Newsom. I'm thankful to live in a state with plenty (and more than there are of the other political persuasion) smart, kind, reasonable, science-believing people, who voted.
Safe. For now. Not Florida, nor Texas. I suspect that with Democratic leadership in all branches of state government, the recall rules will be changing to prevent this sort of charade from happening again anytime soon. But Whew.
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