Gavin Newsom recall, Governor of California (2025)

Gavin Newsom recall
	Officeholders
	Gavin Newsom (D)
	Recall status
	Did not go to a vote
	Signature requirement
	1,311,963 signatures
See also
	Recall overview; Political recall efforts, 2025; Recalls in California; California recall laws; State executive recalls; Recall reports

An effort to recall California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) began on March 28, 2025. Supporters of the recall had 160 days—or no later than September 4, 2025—to collect 1,311,963 signatures to require a recall election.^[1] The recall effort failed to submit enough signatures. According to the final report, organizers submitted 13,485 signatures.^[2]^[3]

Proponents of the recall effort criticized Governor Newsom for his handling of the Los Angeles County fires, the rising cost of living—including gas, electricity, and insurance—along with concerns about crime rates, homelessness, the drug epidemic, and border-related issues.^[4]

Governor Newsom was elected as California's governor in 2018 with 61.9% of the vote. In 2021, there was an attempt to recall Newsom, yet he retained his position with 61.9% of the vote. He was re-elected in 2022, garnering 59.2% of the vote.

Recall supporters

Saving California Chairman Randy Economy initiated the recall effort. The recall petition listed the following reasons for recall:^[5]

“

TO THE HONORABLE GAVIN NEWSOM: Pursuant to California Elections Code section 11020, the undersigned registered qualified voters of the State of California, hereby give notice, we are the proponents of a recall petition and we intend to seek your recall and removal from the office of Governor in the State of California and to demand election of a successor in that office.

The grounds for this recall are as Follows: Gavin Newsom's tenure has been marked by a series of catastrophic failures that directly impact our daily lives. His gross mismanagement during the Los Angeles County fires, with inadequate resources and delayed responses, left communities devastated. Under his watch, we've seen an unbearable rise in the cost of living - from gasoline to electricity to insurance. Crime rates have soared, with policies seemingly more lenient on offenders than on ensuring our safety. Homelessness has become a visible crisis on our streets, reflecting a failure in meaningful action. The drug epidemic rages on, and border issues remain unaddressed, straining our resources further. Despite our high tax contributions, there's little to show for it; our funds are misallocated to political agendas rather than our pressing needs This recall is our call for leadership that prioritizes Californians' safety, affordability, and wellbeing over political games. It's time for change.

The printed names of the proponents are as follows: (1) Mel Gibson, (2) Randell R Economy, (3) Thomas E. Montgomery III, (4) Don Genhart, (5) Ricardo Ramos, (6) Sarah Nagle, (7) John Wilkinson, (8) Susan Miller, (9) Lindsey Stetson, (10) William S Miller.^[6]

”

Recall opponents

The recall petition included the following statement from Governor Newsom in response to the recall effort:^[5]

“

The same MAGA extremists are back with another wasteful partisan recall against Governor Gavin Newsom. This time they've sunk to a new low — exploiting the victims of the LA fires for political gain and distracting us all from the urgent work of recovery and rebuilding. Here's the worst part: Their partisan recall will waste 200 million taxpayer dollars desperately needed for emergency preparedness and response. Governor Newsom has made it clear that he won't play partisan politics with disasters—his focus is on saving lives and helping families recover. And here's the real story. No governor in history has made greater investments in fire preparedness. Newsom doubled the number of state firefighters in the field and literally built the airforce of fire-fighting planes and helicopters that put out the LA fires and saved entire neighborhoods. At the same time, Newsom has put California at the forefront in addressing climate change—the root cause of many of the extreme weather events threatening the state and the world. Governor Newsom will continue to put politics aside to protect California and deliver for people. Reject this wasteful partisan recall. /s/ Governor Gavin Newsom^[6]

”

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing recall in California

The citizens of California have the authority to perform a recall election according to Article 2, Sections 13-19 of the California Constitution. This section of the constitution was added via Proposition 8 by voters in October 1911. The recall provisions apply to officials at the state and local levels, including judges of courts of appeal and trial courts.

To recall state officials, proponents must file a notice-of-intent-to-recall petition signed by 65 voters to begin the petition drive process. Proponents must gather signatures equal to a percentage of the total number of votes most recently cast for the targeted office - 12% for executive officials and 20% for state legislators and judges. Proponents must gather signatures from each of at least five counties equal in number to 1% of the last vote for the office in that county.

Historical gubernatorial recalls

From 2003 to 2024, Ballotpedia tracked 123 gubernatorial recall efforts against 26 different governors. During that time, three recalls made the ballot and one governor was successfully recalled. Former California Gov. Gray Davis (D) was recalled by voters in 2003. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) was chosen as Davis' replacement. The only other governor to ever be successfully recalled was former North Dakota Gov. Lynn Frazier (R) in 1921. In 2012, Wisconsin voted to retain former Gov. Scott Walker (R) in the recall election. He received 53.1% of the vote. In 2021, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) was retained by voters.

Recall context

See also: Ballotpedia's Recall Report

Ballotpedia covers recall efforts across the country for all state and local elected offices. A recall effort is considered official if the petitioning party has filed an official form, such as a notice of intent to recall, with the relevant election agency.

The chart below shows how many officials were included in recall efforts from 2012 to 2024 as well as how many of them defeated recall elections to stay in office and how many were removed from office in recall elections.

Election history

2022

General election

General election for Governor of California

Incumbent Gavin Newsom defeated Brian Dahle in the general election for Governor of California on November 8, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Gavin Newsom (D)	59.2	6,470,104
	Brian Dahle (R)	40.8	4,462,914

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 10,933,018
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Governor of California

The following candidates ran in the primary for Governor of California on June 7, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Gavin Newsom (D)	55.9	3,945,748
✔		Brian Dahle (R)	17.7	1,252,800
		Michael Shellenberger (Independent)	4.1	290,286
		Jenny Rae Le Roux (R)	3.5	246,665
		Anthony Trimino (R)	3.5	246,322
		Shawn Collins (R)	2.5	173,083
		Luis Rodriguez (G)	1.8	124,672
		Leo Zacky (R)	1.3	94,521
		Major Williams (R)	1.3	92,580
		Robert Newman (R)	1.2	82,849
		Joel Ventresca (D)	0.9	66,885
		David Lozano (R)	0.9	66,542
	Submit photo	Ronald Anderson (R)	0.8	53,554
		Reinette Senum (Independent)	0.8	53,015
		Armando Perez-Serrato (D)	0.6	45,474
		Ron Jones (R)	0.5	38,337
		Daniel Mercuri (R)	0.5	36,396
		Heather Collins (G)	0.4	29,690
		Anthony Fanara (D)	0.4	25,086
		Cristian Morales (R)	0.3	22,304
		Lonnie Sortor (R)	0.3	21,044
		Frederic Schultz (Independent)	0.2	17,502
		Woodrow Sanders III (Independent)	0.2	16,204
		James Hanink (Independent)	0.1	10,110
		Serge Fiankan (Independent)	0.1	6,201
		Bradley Zink (Independent)	0.1	5,997
	Submit photo	Jeff Scott (American Independent Party of California) (Write-in)	0.0	13
	Submit photo	Gurinder Bhangoo (R) (Write-in)	0.0	8

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 7,063,888
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates