Letters to the Editor: John Cox's recall bear — is this how Republicans hope to become relevant?

Republican gubernatorial candidate John Cox on Tuesday launched his "Beauty or the Beast" campaign tour in Sacramento
Republican gubernatorial candidate John Cox launches his "Beauty or the Beast" tour in Sacramento with a 1,000-pound Kodiak bear on May 4. (Los Angeles Times)
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To the editor: So Republican John Cox, who ran for governor in 2018 and lost, believes that Gov. Gavin Newsom has failed to resolve the state's intractable problems such as homelessness and wildfires, and thus has donated $10 million of his own money to his campaign. ("A day in the California recall: A 1,000-pound bear and a Hollywood-worthy campaign video," May 4)

How does Cox believe that, should he win, he could solve these problems in the year left in the governor's term after the recall? And how can he justify the state spending up to $400 million on a special election within a year of a regular election, when California has other problems on which it could spend this money?

The recall election is the last chance for the California GOP to be relevant in a statewide election. The party may rue the day it chose to waste taxpayer money on the recall, when it could be focusing instead on promoting a candidate for governor to run in 2022.

The Republicans' recall spending will haunt them in the general election next year.

Sara Isgur, San Diego

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To the editor: As he continues his goofy "Beauty or the Beast" campaign — with Newsom cast as the "beauty" and Cox the "beast" — Cox should remember the last line in the original “King Kong” movie: "It was beauty killed the beast."

Bob Ladendorf, Los Angeles

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To the editor: Someone needs to let Cox know that the grizzly is the California state animal, not the Kodiak bear. If you tour with a 1,000-pound Kodiak bear, as Cox is, you are campaigning to get elected in Alaska.

Oh, wait — should we really expect Cox to know the facts?

Carl Doerksen, Mission Viejo

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.