申論題內容
1. California voters will decide whether to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday, concluding an idiosyncratic election that has been held in the middle of a pandemic and closely watched as one of the first big indicators of the country’s political direction since President Biden took office.
Democrats feel increasingly confident, predicting that Newsom will prevail and avert what would be a disaster for the party in California, the nation's most-populous state. If Newsom is recalled, his likely replacement would be Larry Elder, a conservative talk radio host who has made a career bashing liberal causes.
But the fact that the Democratic governor of a state Biden won by nearly 30 percentage points is being forced to fight to hold on to his post has highlighted the vulnerabilities of leaders who seemed well positioned before the coronavirus pandemic.
Democrats are trying to energize voters without former President Donald J. Trump on the ballot, and a loss — or even a narrow victory — would raise questions about the political clout of Biden, who campaigned with Newsom on Monday night.
The leading Republicans vying to replace Newsom have embraced Trump and his baseless claims of a stolen election, an early signal of the party's unwillingness or inability to distance itself from the former president. (30 pts)