Gavin Newsom Speech Transcript After California Recall Election Results

Gavin Newsom: (01:41)
Well, good evening. It appears we are enjoying a overwhelmingly no vote tonight here in the state of California, but no is not the only thing that was expressed tonight. I want to focus on what we said yes to as a state. We said yes to science. We said yes to vaccines. We said yes to ending this pandemic. We said yes to people’s right to vote without fear of fake fraud or voter suppression. We said yes to women’s fundamental, constitutional right to decide for herself what she does with her body and her fate and future. We said yes to diversity. We said yes to inclusion. We said yes to pluralism. We said yes to all those things that we hold dear as Californians, and I would argue as Americans, economic justice, social justice, racial justice, environmental justice. Our values where California’s made so much progress. All of those things were on the ballot this evening.

Gavin Newsom: (02:49)
And so I’m humbled and grateful to the millions and millions of Californians that exercise their fundamental right to vote and express themselves so overwhelmingly by rejecting the division, by rejecting the cynicism, by rejecting so much of the negativity that’s defined our politics in this country over the course of so many years. I just think of our kids watching all of this. Nightly news, day in and day out. And I just wonder, I’ve got four young kids. Oldest about to turn 12 this weekend, and what they’re growing up to, you know, in a world where we’re so divided these kids increasingly fearful, isolated, disconnected, and we’re teaching them that. And nothing have to be that way. I think we owe our kids a deeper sense of respect, and all of us has adult responsibility to disregard this false separateness. We’re so much more in common as a state and a nation than we give ourselves credit for.

Gavin Newsom: (04:00)
I’ve been all over the state of California over the last many years, but notably in the last nine months. Conservative parts of the state, progressive parts of the state, folks that I know were going to vote no. And boats that I knew were going to vote yes on this recall. And it turned out to do just that. But one thing that’s universal: everybody wants to be respected. Everyone wants to feel some connection to one another. We all certainly in this pandemic want to feel safe, protected. Those are universal values. And I think about just in the last few days and the former president put out saying this election was rigged. Democracy is not a football. You don’t throw it around.

Gavin Newsom: (04:53)
That’s more like a, I don’t know, antique vase. You can drop it and smashing a million different pieces. And that’s what we’re capable of doing if we don’t stand up to meet the moment and push back. I said this many, many times on the campaign trail, we may have defeated Trump, but Trump ism is not dead in this country. The big lie, January 6th insurrection, all the voting suppression efforts that are happening all across this country. What’s happening in the assault on fundamental rights, constitutionally protected rights of women and girls.

Gavin Newsom: (05:32)
It’s a remarkable moment in our nation’s history, but I’m reminded of something I don’t know, a few decades ago, someone told me when describing a difficult and challenging moment said “the world is too small. Our time is too short. And our wisdom is too limited to win fleeting victories at other people’s expenses”. And he went on to say, we must all triumph together. So in that spirit of recognizing and reconciling this moment and trying to understand what’s going on, not just here in this state, but all across the United States of America. I just want to say this tonight. I’m humbled, grateful, but resolved in the spirit of my political hero, Robert Kennedy, to make more gentle the life of this world. Thank you all very much. And thank you to 40 million Americans, 40 million Californians. And thank you for rejecting this recall. Goodnight everybody.