“With Republican figures simultaneously telling voters that Newsom’s defeat is inevitable and cautioning that Democrats will try to manipulate the outcome – and polls showing Newsom is likely to survive – it’s a combustible combination. It also might be a preview of what’s in store for the 2022 midterm elections in the wake of Trump’s barrage of false claims about the integrity of election results. Republican-turned-independent Assemblymember Chad Mayes said his phone has been lighting up with ‘texts saying ‘don’t let them steal it.’’ ‘It’s this constant messaging that somehow if Republicans lose elections, it’s because of voter fraud. It is wrong, it is dangerous, and it needs to stop,’ Mayes said. Republican frontrunner and talk show host Larry Elder, who has denied that Biden fairly won the 2020 election, is among those fomenting the idea of a tainted recall election.”

“He has urged his followers to report ‘suspicious’ recall activity, while saying he was preemptively prepared to file a lawsuit. As prominent Republicans and pundits fan the flames, social media has circulated a story about Torrance police arresting a man with drugs, a gun and hundreds of sealed mail-in ballots (police are still investigating) and a debunked claim that California ballots are designed to reveal how people voted. Polling shows a stark divergence in how voters in the two major parties view elections. Most California Democrats express confidence in California elections. But a plurality of Republicans espouses little faith, and most California Republicans say they are concerned that non-eligible people might vote. A majority of state Republicans still believe the 2020 election was ‘stolen’ from Trump, according to a recent YouGov/Hoover poll. At the same time, Republicans are confident that Newsom will be recalled even as polls consistently give Newsom a double-digit advantage. That disconnect all but ensures that a tight Newsom victory would spur a new wave of voter fraud accusations” – Politico.