When all is said and done, the 2021 Recall Election will be seen as a colossal waste of money. Governor Newsom handily survived the attempt to oust him from office — just one year before the regularly scheduled election. When he won the 2018 election with 61%, that was considered a landslide; he beat back the recall with a 63% margin, ultimately strengthening his hand across the state.
Labor went all out to oppose the recall, with union members up and down the state walking precincts, texting, and calling other union members to ensure that they understood the stakes, and completed and mailed in their ballots.
According to the California Labor Federation, which coordinated the labor opposition to the recall: “While this election was wasteful (to the tune of nearly $300 million it cost taxpayers), it wasn’t an exercise in futility. The mobilization of working people around the core economic issues that led to the defeat of the recall will live on long after every last vote is counted. The labor movement once again proved that every campaign is an organizing opportunity. What we built in 2021 to defeat the recall will carry over into the next election year. It will carry over into the organizing campaigns that will grow our movement. It will carry over into legislative wins to build power for all workers.”
