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California Governor Gavin Newsom is ramping up efforts to draw support ahead of the special recall election taking place on September 14. The Democratic governor says the recall is unfortunately shifting priorities during a time when the state continues to battle the coronavirus and its contagious Delta variant.

"After 18 months of the chaos we had, the last thing California needs is the chaos this recall would perpetuate here in the fifth largest economy in the world," claimed Newsom.

In an online press conference held specifically to reach out to the Asian American Pacific Islander media, Newsom touted the success of California under his leadership. He said that most of the progress he made throughout his political career has been made possible through the AAPI community, dating back to his win as mayor of San Francisco in 2004. "I would not have won that race without the overwhelming support of the Asian community, broadly defined Filipino community, not just the Chinese community, Japanese, across the spectrum, Korean, I was so proud of that."

Newsom added that the recall will disrupt his recent efforts to help California, such as signing a budget that directs $155 million to go after anti-Asian hate, $200 million to deal with evidence-based investments in crime reduction, and plans with the Attorney General to do more intervention to address crimes. "I have work to do to earn that trust but I got a record of advocacy, not just passive support, but deep advocacy, commitment to advance the needs of the AAPI community," said Newsom.

California's first Fil-Am Attorney General Rob Bonta, whom Newsom appointed earlier this year, also threw in his support for the embattled governor. "Elections are not spectator sports. We need to exercise our fundamental right to vote. Our vote is our voice, and we need to make sure we each do our part to beat back this cynical Republican effort," urged Bonta.

According to a July poll conducted by the University of California, Berkeley, and the Los Angeles Times, 36% of the registered voters would recall Newsom, while 51% would vote to keep him in office. The poll also found that Democrats and voters with no party preference may have lower interest in the election because they believe that Newsom will easily defeat the recall.

But the governor is not taking any chances. "This race is close for no other reason than the enthusiasm gap. So many Democrats and Independents are not taking this as seriously as the Republicans do."

Mail-in ballots will be sent out to homes throughout the state this month. There will also be in-person polling sites that will open on September 4th, plus drop-off boxes. In order for Newsom to retain his office, he must receive more than 50% of votes.