Conservative critics of California Gov. Gavin Newsom seem to have made a serious miscalculation by seeking to recall and replace him this fall, new data suggests.
Three months ago, a plurality of registered California voters (48 percent) disapproved of the job the Democratic governor was doing, according to a poll conducted by the Institute of Governmental Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Just 46 percent approved. The official recall campaign, which had launched a year earlier but only recently gained momentum, appeared to have a real (if still remote) chance of success.
But something else was happening three months ago as well: California was just coming off perhaps the scariest COVID-19 surge in America, averaging more than 500 deaths every day after enduring roughly 40,000 cases per day since Christmas.
Not anymore. Today, the Golden State has the lowest per capita rate of daily COVID-19 cases in the country just 5 for every 100,000 residents, on average. More than half the population has received at least one vaccine dose. Bars and restaurants have welcomed customers back indoors. The vast majority of public school students have returned to classrooms. Few restrictions remain on businesses. And the entire state is set to fully reopen and end its mask mandate on June 15.
