California gubernatorial hopeful Caitlyn Jenner has joined a lawsuit to stop incumbent Gov. Gavin Newsom from being designated a "Democrat" on ballots in the upcoming recall election.

Jenner announced on Tuesday that she and her gubernatorial campaign filed a motion to intervene in the lawsuit Newsom filed against California's secretary of state attempting to get the "Democrat" label affixed to his name on ballots. Jenner said she joined the lawsuit "to ensure the laws governing the recall election are enforced and uniformly applied," adding that California Secretary of State Shirley Weber, a Newsom appointee, "likely will not mount a robust, good-faith defense against Newsom's request for preferential treatment."

"Throughout his time as governor, Gavin Newsom has always believed he is above the law," Jenner said. "Whether it was when he shut us down while he lived it up at the French Laundry or when he prevented our children from in-person classroom learning while he sent his own children to in-person classrooms at a private school, this is another example of the hypocrisy of Gavin Newsom."

GAVIN NEWSOM SUES CALIFORNIA ELECTIONS CHIEF TO GET HIS PARTY DESIGNATION ON RECALL BALLOT

Last Tuesday, Newsom sued California's top elections chief to get his party affiliation on his recall ballot later in 2021, claiming there was a mistake made while creating the paperwork for the recall ballot in 2020 that removed his party affiliation.

"Petitioner is beneficially interested in ensuring that his party preference election appears on the recall ballot as provided in Elections Code section 11320 to ensure that voters are able to make a more informed choice when deciding how to vote in the upcoming recall election," the filing read.

While Newsom's filing claimed Weber had the authority to change Newsom's ballot designation since a date had not been set for the election and she did not certify the recall, the state's lieutenant governor announced on Thursday the recall has been scheduled for Sept. 14, and the recall has since been certified.

It was originally believed that a recall election would take place in October, but state lawmakers, many of whom believe Newsom would benefit from a speedy recall, passed a bill on June 28 moving up Newsom's recall date.

Assembly Bill 152, which has passed the Assembly as well as a Senate committee, would "allow the Secretary of State to certify the sufficiency of the signatures before the Joint Legislative Budget Committee has had 30 days to review and comment on the estimate if the Legislature has appropriated funds it determines are reasonably necessary to conduct the recall election and has designated funds for that purpose in the Budget Act or another statute."

Under current state law, the Department of Finance issues a cost estimate, and then the Joint Legislative Budget Committee has 30 days to review and comment on the costs.

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While Newsom suffered low approval ratings amid shuttered businesses and stringent restrictions at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, causing organizers to amass in excess of 1.7 million signatures on behalf of the effort to recall him, the governor's approval ratings have bounced back as the state has moved toward reopening.

Along with Jenner, several Republican candidates are running to unseat Newsom. Former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer entered the race in February, and Assemblyman Kevin Kiley announced his candidacy Tuesday.

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Tags: News, Caitlyn Jenner, Gavin Newsom, ballot, Recalls, California, Governor, lawsuit

Original Author: Carly Roman

Original Location: Caitlyn Jenner joins lawsuit to stop Gavin Newsom from getting 'Democrat' ballot designation