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 margin was slightly higher than polls suggested, but was still 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. Kevin Paffrath, a finance YouTuber and landlord, placed in first on the second ballot, with 32% of the vote, running for the Democratic Party. However, due to the undervote, the Republicans took more votes in the second ballot than Democrats (59.6% to 38.5%.)