… The biggest lesson from this race is that California should immediately change its recall law, which mandates a recall election for a statewide elected official if just 12 percent of voters sign a petition supporting it.
But I think there are also lessons from California for Democrats as they prepare for 2022. Newsom’s most effective strategy was not talking about how California’s economy has improved under his leadership or the long list of progressive policies he has signed into law. Instead, Newsom and his campaign relentlessly focused on Elder, casting him as extremist. And they emphasized that Newsom supported vaccination and mask-wearing requirements and other common-sense policies to reduce the spread of covid-19, much of which Elder opposed. CONTINUED
Perry Bacon Jr., Washington Post