[UPDATE]: This report has been updated to include new information and reporting.
Organizers behind the effort to recall California Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom said late on Wednesday evening that they have reached the number of signatures required to force a recall election this year.
The multi-million dollar movement to oust Newsom from office comes in response to his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. California has had nearly a million more cases than the state with the second highest number, and just recently passed New York as the state that has had the most deaths from the pandemic.
In a since-deleted tweet, FOX 11 Los Angeles anchor Elex Michaelson wrote: “Newsom recall leader @tomdelbeccaro says his team now has over the needed 1.5 million signatures to force a recall election this year … Those signatures have to be officially verified so organizers are hoping to get 2 million signatures by mid-March so they have extras.”
Following the publication of this article, Michaelson changed his reporting to state that the group has “NOT hit the 1.5 million signatures needed to force a recall…YET,” according to a group leading the recall effort.
Tom Del Becarro, chair of the Rescue California PAC (a major recall supporter), said they HAVE reached the 1.5 million vote threshold, but wants to get to 1.9 million signatures by the end of March.
Economy disputes that figure & says he's the sole spokesman for the campaign.
— Elex Michaelson (@Elex_Michaelson) February 11, 2021