SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Political analyst Michael Yaki joined the KRON4 Morning News team on Friday to recap last night’s California Governor Recall debate, hosted in the KRON4 studio and broadcast statewide.
Three Republican candidates; John Cox, Kevin Faulconer and Kevin Kiley, discussed why they would be best suited to be governor in the event that Gov. Newsom is removed from office after the Sept. 14, 2021 election.
Yaki said it’s like almost like a primary – and the three candidates each had their own qualities to point out.
“Kevin Kiley was one who surprised me the most, he came across as someone who was trying to be reasonable,” Yaki said. “He made a good impression last night.”
Yaki commended Kiley’s pitch – that whoever wins the recall would only be around for a year before California voters get ballots for the general election.
He added that Cox is underestimated – he has experience running against Gavin Newsom.
In 2018, Cox was the Republican frontrunner for governor of California. He garnered 38.1% of the vote that year, and Yaki said he is trying to appeal again to that Republican base that’s against Newsom.
But in terms of the future, Yaki says Faulconer is someone who Newsom would not want to face for next year’s general election. Yaki describes him as the “generic, Conservative, passionate George Bush type.”
Watch the full debate analysis above.