SoroNewsom
© PAC/Eric Risberg/AP/KJNBillionaire George Soros • California Governor Gavin Newsom
Billionaire philanthropist and progressive, George Soros, who financially supports and drives leftist causes all over the world, has provided an additional $500,000 to a political action committee opposing the California recall of Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom.

Soros' donations to Newsom thus far have reached a total of $1,000,000.

According to the Associated Press, filings with the California Secretary of State's office show that George Soros contributed to a group called "Stop the Republican Recall of Governor Newsom."

The contribution was made on Monday, August 30, and was Soros' third donation to the PAC, following a pair of $250,000 donations.

George Soros has a history of supporting progressive district attorney candidates and criminal justice reform efforts in states like California, Texas, and other states.

In 2018, Soros dumped $1.5 million into several Californian district attorney campaigns, when he aimed to unseat sitting prosecutors in Alameda, Sacramento, and San Diego countries, according to the Associated Press.
Soros' contributions through the California Justice & Public Safety Political Action Committee aim to unseat sitting prosecutors in Alameda, Sacramento and San Diego counties and back Diana Becton, who was appointed Contra Costa County's first woman and first African-American district attorney last year. The races are non-partisan, meaning no party affiliation appears on the ballot by the candidates' names. But several candidates Soros is backing identify as Democrats.

It's a spinoff of the tens of millions of dollars he has spent previously to liberalize drug policies and criminal penalties; he is a frequent contributor to candidates seeking higher profile statewide offices.

The recall effort in California calls on voters to decide whether to remove Governor Newsom in less than two weeks on September 14. Under California state rules, Newsom is allowed to raise an unlimited amount of money as the sitting governor facing a recall. Other candidates must adhere to strict contribution limits, effectively preventing them from outspending Newsom.
"George Soros contributes another $500,000 to Gavin Newsom's anti-recall committee, bringing his total to an even $1 million," wrote Rob Pyers, research director of the California Target Book.
According to The Hill, Newsom launched his committee in March, arguing that the effort to recall him was driven by Republicans.

The PAC has reportedly raised more than $63 million, and describes the recall as a "coalition of national Republicans, anti-vaxxers, Q-Anon conspiracy theorists, and anti-immigrant Trump supporters."

Contrary to Newsom's claims, the California recall has received widespread support from other Democrats opposed to Newsom. Former California Majority Leader Gloria Romero has endorsed Republican nominee Larry Elder, the Daily Wire reported.

FiveThirtyEight published an updated average of multiple polls showing that 48.8 percent supported keeping Newsom in his current role, followed by 47.6 percent of people who want him to be removed. The public surveys indicate that the question is well within the margin of error.

Given the polling results, Newsom's chances could go either way, a fact that has not gone unnoticed by national Democrats, who have thrown their support into the race to save Newsom from being recalled and possibly replaced by a Republican.

The Hill reports that Democrats nationwide are now pouring late cash into the race to save him.
Pro-Newsom campaigns and independent groups have spent or reserved almost $30 million in airtime across the state, according to the nonpartisan media monitoring firm AdImpact. Republican candidates running to unseat Newsom have spent or reserved less than half that much.

This week alone, Democratic groups are spending $3 million on television and radio advertising, according to AdImpact. Republican campaigns are spending just more than $1.4 million over the same period, about $880,000 of which comes from conservative Republican radio host Larry Elder.
The Daily Wire reports that Netflix co-CEO and others have donated millions to prevent Newsom's ouster.

Netflix co-CEO Reed Hastings has contributed $3,000,000 to help the governor. In addition, two SEIU locals have chipped in more than $3,250,000. And the Democratic Governors Association reportedly gave Newsom's PAC at least $5 million last month.

Other top individual donors to Newsom's anti-recall committee include real estate tycoon George Marcus ($1,000,000), Connie Balmer, the wife of former Microsoft CEO and Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Balmer ($1 million), Priscilla Chan, wife of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg ($750,000), and Hollywood mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg ($500,000).