CA Recall Election: 'The Beast' Vs. The 'Compassionate Disrupter'

CALIFORNIA — The Golden State's upcoming recall election pits "the pretty boy" against "the beast" and the "compassionate disrupter," as Republicans Caitlyn Jenner and John Cox dropped their respective campaign videos this week.

Meanwhile, Newsom blasted the recall effort on Tuesday at a news conference with firefighter unions.

"Now is not the time to waste hundreds of millions of dollars on a recall effort that is nothing more than a partisan power grab," Newsom said. "I hope people take the time to discover what this actually is."

Cox, 65, branded himself as a businessman and not a politician in his first campaign video in his second run for the office. On Tuesday, he reintroduced himself as "the beast" to Newsom's "beauty" in a new campaign video.

And Cox didn't stop there. He also appeared with a live Kodiak bear named Tag. Cox launched a bus tour this week promising to bring "beastly" changes to California governance. The 30-second television spot cost him $5 million, according to his campaign.

"We chose pretty over accomplished," the narrator in Cox's video remarks over whimsical music. "We chose beauty over brains." And then a bear (or "the beast") enters the frame. "We need to choose someone who can fix this place. ... Do you want beauty or a ball-busting beast?"

Cox lost to Newsom in the deep blue state in 2018 with 38 percent of the vote. If elected this time, he promised to bring down the cost of housing, boost the state's water resources and prevent what he called "special interests" from influencing state government.

"Our kids will never again miss an entire year of school," Cox said in his video. "Gavin's pandemic management was a shambles [sic]."

Cox presented himself as a self-starter and someone who knows the struggle. He said he never knew his father, paid his own way through college and launched a successful real estate career. He's already spent $10 million of his own money on the race and said he is willing to spend more.

"Millions of people voted for something named John Cox but he was never a very, I don’t think, a very clearly defined John Cox, and so we’re going to define him a lot better," said Fred Davis, an ad maker now working for Cox who is known for producing quirky political spots, including the “demon sheep" ad in Carly Fiorina's unsuccessful 2010 bid against California's U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer.

Watch the video below.

Meanwhile, Jenner released her own video that showcased retro and aesthetically pleasing imagery of California from years past and comparing it to more current footage of encampments of unhoused people and an image of a giant haul of syringes.

In her first-ever campaign ad, Jenner, 71, crowned herself the "compassionate disrupter" as she stood against a backdrop of the American flag. She talked about shattering glass ceilings and featured clips from her Summer Olympics appearance in 1976 when she won the gold medal in the decathlon.

"I came here with a dream 48 years ago to be the greatest athlete in the world," Jenner said. "Now I enter a different kind of race, arguably my most important one yet."

Jenner announced her candidacy just two weeks ago. Tuesday's ad is the first time she's commented extensively on her platform. In her video, she emphasized a return to the "American Dream" and took aim at Newsom, calling him an "elitist" without directly naming him.

Watch her video below.

Other Republicans in the race included former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and former Rep. Doug Ose (Sacramento).

There are still several steps remaining before the election is officially certified, but signature collection and verification were the biggest hurdles. The election will likely be scheduled for the fall.

The recall effort began in February 2020, before the pandemic severely upended life in California; supporters have said since that Newsom's response to the pandemic was disastrous for businesses and that his leadership revealed serious fissures within the state's unemployment agency after an audit found widespread fraud.

So far, no prominent Democrat has announced a plan to run against Newsom. In March, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi warned Democrats not to run in the likely recall election.

Over the weekend, Democrats rallied around Newsom at the state's Democratic convention.

"National Republicans and extreme right-wingers, they're not sitting back. They're putting everything they can [into] their recall power grab all in the hopes of rolling back all the important progress we have made together," Newsom said at the virtual convention.

Newsom's vow to fight back poses a formidable threat to recall supporters. Under state rules, the California governor can raise money in unlimited amounts, while other candidates must abide by contribution limits. And his supporters have deep pockets.

READ MORE: Recall Backers Raise More, But Newsom's Side Has More Cash In The Bank

"This is — and forgive me — a Republican-backed recall where the principal proponent of the recall effort wants to microchip immigrants," Newsom said Tuesday. "These folks don't believe in science let alone climate science, and they don't believe in the science behind this pandemic. There's a lot at stake for Californians in this race."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.