newsom recall california
© Jungho Kim/Special to The ChronicleGov. Gavin Newsom speaks to reporters during a press conference for his “Vote No” camapaign at Manny’s in San Francisco.
There was a palpable sense of urgency — and concern — among the top San Francisco Democrats standing behind Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday as he kicked off a weekend-long statewide barnstorming trip to urge Californians to vote no against the recall.

With polls showing that likely voters are virtually split on whether to recall Newsom, Assemblyman David Chiu invoked the memory of election night 2016, when heavy Democratic favorite Hillary Clinton lost to Republican Donald Trump.

"We thought we had it in the bag. The polls showed us that we are way ahead. Well, it turned out we were wrong," Chiu said at Newsom's campaign stop at Manny's, a Mission District restaurant and political gathering place.

recall Newsom stand
© David McNew/AFP/GettyImagesSignatures gathered in the recall effort in Pasadena, California
"Today, the polls show that this race is neck-and-neck. And if Democrats don't turn out, we are going to have a Republican governor in a couple weeks," Chiu said. "And I can tell you, on behalf of our state legislators, nothing could be more catastrophic for the state of California."

The show of force from Democrats in the uber-liberal city where Newsom got his political start was a sign of concern that the party's base voters haven't tuned into the race yet.

Standing behind Newsom were an array of San Francisco leaders — including Mayor London Breed, state Sen. Scott Wiener, Assembly Member Phil Ting, District Attorney Chesa Boudin, state Board of Equalization member Malia Cohen, and former Board of Supervisors member and current California Democratic Party vice chair David Campos — who have "all battled each other at some point or another," as Cohen said.

"We have our challenges in terms of our disagreements in San Francisco," Breed said. "But we are united in our support for the governor and all the amazing work he has done to lead us during a global pandemic."

The united front was a tacit acknowledgment of the enthusiasm gap that polls reveal between Democrats and Republicans when it comes to the Sept. 14 recall election. With ballots already arriving in the mail — Wiener and Cohen flashed their completed ones Friday — Newsom said that the campaign had already invested $6.5 million in the largest get-out-the-vote effort "that's ever been advanced in the state's history."
recall ballot newsom california
© Jungho Kim/Special to The ChronicleAn envelope holding a ballot for the upcoming gubernatorial recall election is seen in the hands of state Sen. Scott Wiener at Manny’s in San Francisco
Newsom said the campaign has sent 17 million text messages reminding voters of the recall, and has 5,200 volunteers in the field. It is ramping up door-to-door canvassing and phone banking along with the state's largest labor unions and other left-leaning organizations.

Newsom pushed back on Democrats who worried that the campaign wasn't focusing enough effort on in-person campaigning.

"We're just winding up because the ballots just dropped," Newsom said. "And now is when people are tuning in."
larry elder for governor california recall
Larry Elder
Newsom continued to single out conservative talk show host Larry Elder almost exclusively in his attacks, perhaps hoping to increase Democratic turnout by describing him as "to the right of Donald Trump" — who remains widely unpopular in the state. Elder opposes any minimum wage and has said Roe vs. Wade is one of the Supreme Court's worst decisions. In a simultaneous press event today, Elder said he would rescind all statewide COVID-19 mask and vaccine mandates if elected governor because "we have freedom in America."

"Think about the judges he would appoint" as governor, Newsom said. "Who would he have appointed to replace Kamala Harris in the U.S. Senate?" Newsom appointed Democratic Secretary of State Alex Padilla to replace Harris when she became vice president.

Newsom and his supporters are racing the clock to wake up their fellow Democrats. As Peter Gallotta, a vice chair of the San Francisco Democratic Party, made calls to Democratic voters at Manny's on Friday, he said all of the people he spoke to opposed the recall. But he said some were confused about the "logistics" of the two-question ballot.

The first question asks voters if they want to recall Newsom — and to keep him in office, they have to vote "no." The second question asks them to choose from among 46 candidates to replace him. Newsom and his supporters urged Democrats to leave the second question blank, even though some of his GOP rivals have described that suggestion as a form of voter suppression.

Newsom shrugged off the criticism, preferring to keep his message simple: "Just vote no."
Joe Garofoli is the San Francisco Chronicle's senior political writer, covering national and state politics. He has worked at The Chronicle since 2000 and in Bay Area journalism since 1992, when he left the Milwaukee Journal. He is the host of It's All Political, The Chronicle's political podcast.