On Thursday the State of California

scheduled a Sept. 14 recall election

that threatens to drive Democratic Gov.

Gavin Newsom from office, the result

of a political uprising driven by widespread

angst over coronavirus orders

that shuttered schools and businesses.

The election in the nation's most

populous state will be a marquee contest

with national implications, watched

closely as a barometer of the public

mood heading toward the 2022 elections,

when a closely divided Congress

again will be in play.

The date was set by the state's lieutenant

governor after election officials

certified that enough valid petition signatures

had been turned in to qualify

the election for the ballot.

Many voters have yet to pay attention

to the emerging election, while

polls have shown Newsom would beat

back the effort to remove him. Republicans

haven't won a statewide race

in heavily Democratic California since

2006.

Republican candidates have depicted

Newsom as an incompetent fop,

while Democrats have sought to frame

the recall as driven by far-right extremists

and supporters of former President

Donald Trump.