‘Recall Newsom’ campaign organizer from Rancho Mirage concedes defeat

Randy Economy from Rancho Mirage calls himself the face of the Recall Newsom campaign.

A senior advisor to the movement, Economy said it was a hard-fought race, but conceded Tuesday night that Newsom successfully defended his position as governor. Nonetheless, he said the efforts made an impact.

"Gov. Newsom has been successful tonight and I congratulate him," he said. "If we have a problem with our governor or any politician, we have the right to go ahead and hold them accountable. I think that's the important point we've been able to make and prove."

At Dringk Eatery + Bar in Rancho Mirage, a victory party for Republicans dwindled after disheartening early results came in for them.

Joy Miedecke with the Republican headquarters in La Quinta said it's not over till it's over. "They need to open those ballots before they start making predictions and that's what they don't ever do," she said.

With Newsom now expected to remain as governor, some California Republicans are already questioning the election's integrity. "

Something's going on there and we are concerned about it," Miedecke said. "We’ll see what happens."

"Without the votes even being counted yet, they're saying fraud," said Elle Kurpiewski with the Democratic Headquarters of the Desert. "What an insult to the people of California; what an insult to the voters."

"At the end of the day, people got down and said do I want Larry Elder to be governor or do I want Gavin Newsom to be governor, and I think the voters spoke overwhelmingly and said let's just keep with what we know and what we've got," Economy said.

The Recall Newsom team said they're proud of their efforts. Gov. Newsom has to run for re-election next year – and they said they still plan to keep him accountable.