YouTuber hunts views and votes in California recall bid

If California voters recall Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, they could replace him with a 29-year-old YouTube star

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The only time Californians voted to recall a governor, they replaced him with a Hollywood megastar. This time, could it be a 29-year-old YouTube star who ends up leading the nation's most populous state? It’s a very long shot, but Kevin Paffrath could conceivably win simply because he has some name recognition by virtue of the nearly 1.7 million followers of his video channel, where he dispenses financial advice. The other eight Democrats running are essentially unknowns. The Democratic field is filled with anonymous political neophytes because of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s successful strategy of discouraging any prominent Democrats from running in the Sept. 14 election. His goal was to make it an all-or-nothing proposition for voters — keep Newsom, or live with the consequences of picking a replacement with a far different policy agenda. “Social media stardom translates to name recognition, and that's really what's going to make a big difference in an election like this with 46 names on the ballot," said Kim Nalder, a professor of political science at the California State University, Sacramento.