California Governor Newsom suggests one motive behind his recall effort is racist ideology

California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom is suggesting that the effort to recall him is perhaps less about his challenges in managing the coronavirus pandemic and more about the petition drive organizers' concerns over immigration, which he called the "browning" of the state.

"Look at the petition, look at the actual reasons they themselves listed," Newsom said Tuesday on the ABC-TV show "The View." "It has to do with immigration. The browning of California."

Newsom used so-called air quotes to emphasize "browning," according to Fox News. 

The petition drive officially ends Wednesday. Organizers need 1.5 million valid signatures and have over 2 million collected. 

If enough valid signature are collected, the recall effort would go on a voters' ballot, perhaps as early as November, for a special election. 

Newsom has started his own campaign called "Stop the Republican Recall," which argues those backing the effort are those opposed to coronavirus vaccine, Q-Anon conspiracy theorists and anti-immigration Trump supporters.