https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/08/28/california-recall-heres-what-a-republican-governor-accomplish-if-newsom-loses/

End COVID mandates. Fill vacancies on everything from the state dental board to — maybe — the U.S. Senate. Sign executive orders sending the National Guard to the southern border. These are just some of the things a new governor could do if Gov. Gavin Newsom loses his job in the recall election.

The notion that Newsom, who came into office as a popular Democrat leading a deep blue state, could be sent packing Sept. 14 sounded ludicrous even a few months ago. But recent polling and enthusiasm among Republican recall supporters suggests there’s a realistic chance the San Francisco native gets booted from Sacramento. And under California’s bizarre recall rules, that means a replacement candidate without a prayer of winning a regular statewide election could ascend to the state’s top post with, say, 15 percent of voters behind them — all they need is one more vote than anyone else gets.