California recall fails; Gov. Gavin Newsom remains in office

California Gov. Gavin Newsom will keep his job following the defeat of the recall effort to remove him.

According to the Associated Press, Californians overwhelmingly voted "No" to removing and replacing Newsom as governor. Newsom becomes only the second governor in U.S. history to survive a recall attempt. 

With the 2022 midterm elections looming, Democrats see this as an unquestionable boost — if only because losing would have been so disastrous for the party. 

The recall, which turned on Newsom's approach to the pandemic, mirrored the nation's heated political divide over business closures and mask and vaccine mandates as the nation heads into a midterm election season next year.

Republican candidate Larry Elder has not conceded the race yet, despite numerous news organizations projecting the recall's defeat. 

The unofficial poll tally has the "No" vote at 67% in a state where Democrats lead in party registration by a ratio of about two to one.