Gov. Gavin Newsom's new ad says California recall result is 'a matter of life and death'
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Gov. Gavin Newsom is using increasingly stark language as he campaigns in the final month of a tight recall election.
Newsom's new campaign ad starts with the narrator saying: "What's at stake in the Sept. 14 recall? It's a matter of life and death."
Newsom is framing the recall as it pertains to the state's fight against the delta variant. Talk show host Larry Elder, the Republican frontrunner, is criticized in Newsom's new campaign ad for his opposition to vaccine mandates and masks.
"The top Republican candidate, he pedaled deadly conspiracy theories and would eliminate vaccine mandates on day one," says the narrator in the ad.
Newsom on the attack, says GOP candidate Larry Elder is to the right of Donald Trump
In response to the ad, Elder's campaign told Eyewitness News in part: "The ad is correct: This is indeed a matter of life and death. Under Gavin Newsom's watch, California has been plagued by crime, homelessness, the rising cost of living, uncontrollable wildfires, water shortages, and dictatorial COVID edicts."
Elder was endorsed by the Orange County Register editorial board on Monday. In Sacramento, state Attorney General Rob Bonta and Secretary of State Shirley Weber urged Californians to learn about their voting rights and make a plan to vote.
The governor wrapped up four days of campaigning against the recall Monday by thanking volunteers in San Jose. Newsom's message: it's not just the governor's race on the ballot, but everything California stands for.
"Know what this is really about, so if we turn out, we're going to win," said Newsom.
Every registered voter in the state will receive their ballot in the mail this week. If you're not registered to vote, you can register in person at L.A. County vote centers, which open Sept. 4.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
