In the latest outpouring of financial support for entrenched Governor Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.), the Democratic incumbent received a donation of $200,000 from a former Big Tech CEO to combat his upcoming recall election, according to Politico.
Marissa Mayer, the former CEO of search engine and news aggregate company Yahoo, made the donation earlier this week on top of numerous other hefty donations from Silicon Valley and other special interests, ranging from celebrities and federal figures to various other tech and entertainment executives. After Yahoo, Mayer became the co-founder of a tech company called Sunshine Contact, which specializes in artificial intelligence.
This latest infusion highlights the massive financial advantage Newsom has over the numerous Republican candidates running to replace him. Due to a bizarre law with regards to recall elections, which are technically considered ballot measures, Newsom is allowed to raise as much money as possible, while the individual candidates running against him can only receive donations no larger than $32,400. Newsom has received well over $3 million in such donations since the recall became official.
The recall election, formally scheduled for September 14th of this year, was triggered by widespread dissatisfaction with Newsom’s poor handling of the coronavirus pandemic in California, having implemented some of the strictest lockdown measures in the country. Once the recall became official with enough valid signatures earlier this year, numerous Republicans have announced their runs. Among them are 2018 gubernatorial nominee John Cox, “transgender” reality TV star and former athlete Bruce Jenner, former Congressman Doug Ose, and former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer.
Yesterday, another major Republican stepped into the race, when State Assemblyman Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.) announced his run via Twitter. Also allegedly considering a run is radio host and Fox News contributor Larry Elder, as well as former Ambassador to Germany Ric Grenell.