The Recall Gavin 2020 campaign, which took on new life when a judge granted them a 120 day extension, till March 17, 2021, has just acquired the support of a new committee, Rescue California. Headed up by former California GOP Chairman Tom Del Beccaro, this new PAC brings a powerful group of experienced politicians, political professionals, and donors to the front lines of the Recall Gavin movement, bringing help to what is already one of the most impressive grassroots efforts in California history.

Reached for comment on this new development was Rescue California Co-Chair Tony Krvaric, long-time chairman of the San Diego County Republican Party and one of the most formidable political strategists in the state. He said “This new PAC is built with the right people to recall Governor Gavin Newsom, holding him accountable for his erratic leadership and stunning hypocrisy in this crisis. Californians deserve better and we invite everyone to join in this effort.”

The coalition that has now formed is a unique opportunity, long overdue, for establishment Republicans in California to merge their talents and resources with what has become a massive, bipartisan collection of volunteers. Having this new player involved does not change anything with the petition. There is still only one official recall petition, which can be downloaded by anyone with an internet connection and a printer. To ensure there is no wasted effort, both organizations are working with the same firm to collect signed petitions and verify their validity.

In a telephone conversation with Paul Olson on November 18, whose company, GoCo Consulting, is doing the petition verification for the recall, he confirmed that his firm has already processed 494,000 signed petitions which have either just been turned in or are now being delivered to the county clerks around the state. Olson also confirmed that his firm is currently processing another 230,000 signatures.

When combined with the 55,000 that were turned in earlier in the year, and the ones already signed but still being delivered, conservatively estimated at 60,000, this campaign has already collected over 800,000 signed recall petitions.

“From the beginning I have been impressed with the efforts of the original petitioners,” said veteran fundraiser Ann Dunsmore, who assisted the all-volunteer recall campaign through the summer. Dunsmore is now working with the new committee, explaining that “I was pleased to be asked to continue supporting the cause by Republican elected officials and Republican party leaders throughout the state. I hope we will be able to support the recall in a fashion that respects the passion and the efforts of the volunteers which has gotten us this far.”

When reached for comment on this new development, the lead proponent of the recall, Orrin Heatlie, was enthusiastic. “This is happening at exactly the right time,” he said, “we have just gotten the 120 day extension. This new committee, supported by dozens of prominent elected officials and seasoned professionals, is a perfect complement to our volunteers. We are the army, and they are the cavalry. I could not be more pleased.”

It remains to be seen how much energy the California State Republican Party will put into the recall effort. The post-election counting, at least in California, is winding down. The California GOP is riding on the heels of some important victories including picking up two seats in the US Congress. They’re also dealing with a few heartbreaking defeats such as Senator John Moorlach, who lost his bid for reelection after being targeted by the prison guards’ union. Right now, with the election over, is a perfect time for California’s GOP, which continues to regularly blast emails sharply critical of “King Newsom,” to get directly involved in this increasingly credible attempt to kick the King off his throne.

Getting the requisite 1,495,709 signatures to force a recall, with over half of them already collected, ought to be easy if a determined and adequately funded coalition steps up. Prospects to sign the recall petition are not in short supply. In 2016, candidate Trump got 4,483,810 votes in California, 31.6 percent. In 2018, with more ballots left to count, Trump has already received 5,884,058 votes in California, 34.2 percent. He not only earned the support of nearly 1.5 million more voters than he’d attracted in 2016, he improved his percentages in what was an election with record turnout. Finding a Trump voter in this state who would be unwilling to sign a recall petition would be a tough job. But that’s only part of this opportunity, because getting rid of this governor is a wholly bipartisan cause, backed not only by Republicans, but by Democrats, Libertarians, and independents.

The strategic value of making Governor Newsom fight to stay in office cannot be overstated. Newsom is more than just an incompetent, hypocritical, corrupt governor. He exemplifies the entire fraud that constitutes the Democratic Party in California. Governor Newsom, and his party, have run California for decades, and the legacy of their rule is the highest income inequality and the highest cost-of-living in the United States, crumbling infrastructure, failing schools, devastating wildfires caused by negligence, avoidable shortages of water and energy, a housing industry destroyed by overregulation, and an invasion of homeless that could be helped if it weren’t for the toxic progressive combination of misguided compassion and rampant corruption.

A special election that forces Newsom to defend his office would be an opportunity for California’s GOP to redefine itself not just by being anti-Democrat, but by offering real solutions: education vouchers to guarantee universal school choice, reform of crippling environmentalist overreach such as the California Environmental Quality Act, great new infrastructure projects to build new roads, repair the aqueducts, and invest in more water storage, keeping Diablo Canyon open, and reviving the timber industry which could thin California’s overgrown forests.

Several organizations working cooperatively to ensure this recall effort qualifies for the ballot is not easy. But it is not unusual for initiatives and recalls to be promoted by more than one campaign. The Davis recall in 2003 had several independent committees working to gather petitions, and that result is history. Will history repeat itself?