2021 California gubernatorial recall election



The 2021 California gubernatorial recall election was a special election on whether to recall incumbent Governor Gavin Newsom, held on September 14, 2021. The recall failed, with just under 55% of voters voting not to recall Newsom. The election was slightly closer than polls suggested, but was still a clear win for Governor Newsom. The election was significantly closer than the 2018 gubernatorial election.

Results for replacement candidates
In the event that Gavin Newsom was recalled on the first ballot, several dozen candidates ran on the second ballot. There was a very large undervote on the second ballot compared to the recall ballot (9,684,993 vs. 7,379,164,) due to Newsom's campaign advocating for leaving the second section blank. Larry Elder, a talk show host, placed in first on the second ballot, with 26% of the vote, running for the Republican Party. Due to the undervote, the Republicans took more votes in the second ballot than Democrats (69.6% to 27.5%.) The highest-peforming Democrat was finance YouTuber and landlord Kevin Paffrath, who got 17% of the vote on the second ballot.