COVID-19 dominates closing days of California recall election between Newsom and Republicans

With California's recall election less than two weeks away, Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom is keeping his focus on battling COVID-19 and defending the state's vaccine and mask mandates — drawing a stark contrast with the Republicans looking to replace him on September 14.

Newsom touts California's high vaccination rate: nearly 80% of eligible Californians say they've been vaccinated. But the Delta variant has caused a spike in cases nationwide, particularly among the unvaccinated and children as they return to in-person schooling. Larry Elder, a conservative radio talk show host and the front-runner to replace Newsom, claims science shows it's not necessary to vaccinate young people or force them to wear masks in school.