Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Newsom’s ‘Putin Election’ Warning Triggers Fight Over Federal Monitors in California

State leaders vow to watch Justice Department observers after a California GOP request set federal monitoring in motion.

Overview

  • In an ABC interview, Governor Gavin Newsom warned that 2028 could be a 'Putin election' and said he is 'scared to death' about President Donald Trump sending election monitors to California.
  • Newsom said state officials will keep an eye on Department of Justice observers assigned to California polling operations.
  • The Justice Department moved to send federal election observers following a request from California GOP Chair Corrin Rankin citing county concerns.
  • California’s attorney general said he will deploy state observers to oversee any federal monitoring during upcoming elections.
  • On ABC’s The View, Alyssa Farah Griffin called Newsom’s remarks 'wholly irresponsible' as co-hosts debated whether his warnings undermine trust in elections, with broader context including California’s mail-in voting law and limits on local voter ID rules.