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# Another Challenger Jumps into Newsom Recall Race
July 07 2021
Written by Emily Hoeven.
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CAL MATTERS-Ten days. That’s how much time Californians who want to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom have to declare their candidacy in the [quickly approaching recall election](https://calmatters.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5f4af3af825368013c58e4547&id=2ce74908e2&e=be99ddd110).
On Tuesday, Assemblymember Kevin Kiley (photo above) became the latest challenger to officially throw his hat into the ring — about a month after the Rocklin Republican [first announced he was exploring a run for governor](https://calmatters.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5f4af3af825368013c58e4547&id=8ab5031bd4&e=be99ddd110). Kiley — who emerged as [one of Newsom’s chief antagonists amid the pandemic](https://calmatters.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5f4af3af825368013c58e4547&id=5dd9dd46a7&e=be99ddd110) — will likely join [former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer](https://calmatters.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5f4af3af825368013c58e4547&id=42dc2c164e&e=be99ddd110) as one of the more serious candidates in a race that [currently includes at least 55 potential contenders](https://calmatters.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5f4af3af825368013c58e4547&id=9d8f3be6b3&e=be99ddd110), many of whom are random citizens.
Kiley, who’s endorsed by lead recall organizer Orrin Heatlie, has long been involved in the effort to oust Newsom from office. In addition to [contributing nearly $11,000](https://calmatters.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5f4af3af825368013c58e4547&id=3e7fb1767c&e=be99ddd110) to the recall campaign, he [embarked on a statewide tour](https://calmatters.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5f4af3af825368013c58e4547&id=58a0ab5eae&e=be99ddd110) earlier this year to promote [his book](https://calmatters.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5f4af3af825368013c58e4547&id=94a94e3771&e=be99ddd110), “Recall Newsom: The Case Against America’s Most Corrupt Governor.” With GOP Assemblymember James Gallagher of Yuba City, Kiley sued Newsom in an attempt to limit his pandemic emergency powers. Though a superior court initially [ruled in favor of Kiley and Gallagher](https://calmatters.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5f4af3af825368013c58e4547&id=b76d2bc93f&e=be99ddd110), an appeals court [overturned the ruling](https://calmatters.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5f4af3af825368013c58e4547&id=673913a10b&e=be99ddd110) — prompting the two legislators [to recently ask the California Supreme Court to reconsider the case](https://calmatters.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5f4af3af825368013c58e4547&id=d137996db2&e=be99ddd110).
Kiley told me Tuesday that as governor, he would work to root out the influence of wealthy interest groups in the Capitol and consider calling a special session of the Legislature to focus on education reform or housing affordability.
- **Kiley:** “In the next couple of months. . .we have a real opportunity to focus, to deliberate as a state about our future and to ask why is it that we sacrifice the most in California and we get the least in return?”
While prospective candidates face a time crunch, Newsom is staring down a deadline of his own: Friday marks the first hearing in [his lawsuit against Secretary of State Shirley Weber](https://calmatters.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5f4af3af825368013c58e4547&id=5c3cd2c826&e=be99ddd110) over putting his Democratic Party affiliation on the Sept. 14 recall ballot. On Tuesday, recall candidate Caitlyn Jenner [filed a motion to intervene in the lawsuit](https://calmatters.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5f4af3af825368013c58e4547&id=1e6be63aa5&e=be99ddd110), arguing that Weber — [a Newsom appointee](https://calmatters.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5f4af3af825368013c58e4547&id=b02e56b2f9&e=be99ddd110) — “likely will not mount a robust, good-faith defense against Newsom’s request for preferential treatment.”
*(Emily Hoeven writes the daily* [WhatMatters](https://calmatters.org/newsletters/whatmatters/2021/07/newsom-recall-challenger-kiley/) *newsletter for CalMatters.) Prepped for CityWatch by Linda Abrams.*
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