Newsom recall: Bernie Sanders urges Californians to keep governor in office

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- In an effort to encourage Democrats to participate in and vote against the recall, Gov. Gavin Newsom continues to call in help from Washington D.C.

First it was Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Now Sen. Bernie Sanders is hitting the California airwaves encouraging Democrats to vote no.

"The last thing we need is to have some right-wing Republican governor in California," the Vermont Democrat says in the ad. "The Sept. 14 recall of Gov. Newsom is a bold-faced Republican power grab. Don't let it happen."

Democrats continue to struggle over how to approach the second question on the ballot, which asks who should become governor if Newsom is recalled.

Some voters are hesitant to take Newsom's advice and leave the question blank. Since they can't vote for Newsom on question two and with no big-name Democrat on the ballot, Republican Kevin Faulconer hopes his moderate views can win them over.

Some Democratic strategists feel Faulconer is the safest bet if the recall is successful, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

"There's still a lot of undecided voters right now and that's why my message is very clear and very direct: If you're an undecided voter, Republican, Democrat, I ask for your vote and your support. This is a campaign based upon addition, not exclusion," said Faulconer.

It's no surprise Faulconer continues attacking the more conservative choice in the race who is leading in the polls, Larry Elder.

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In MacArthur Park Monday, Faulconer was joined by a group of women including his wife to show support for working moms.

"When we hear from another candidate in the race, Larry Elder, who says it's OK for employers to discriminate against a woman who's considering having kids - that's wrong. That's not who we are as Californians," Faulconer said.

When asked to respond to Faulconer's criticism, the Elder campaign's communications director, Ying Ma, said: "Larry has said from day one that this is a recall election, not a GOP primary. Over 1.7 million Californians have signed a petition to kick Gavin Newsom out of office, and this campaign will be focused on that. Everything else, including sniping among replacement candidates, is a distraction."

Monday is the last day to register to vote to receive the ballot in the mail and in Los Angeles County you can do so by visiting the county election site.

You can still register to vote in person by visiting any of the vote centers which open Saturday, Sept. 4.