WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden urged California voters on Monday to keep Gavin Newsom as their governor or risk returning to the “dark, destructive, divisive politics” of Donald Trump.

Speaking at a campaign rally in Long Beach, Biden called Newsom one of the best governors in the country and warned that removing the first-term Democrat from office would carry consequences that would reverberate around the nation and the world.

“California, the eyes of the nation are on you,” Biden said. “You’ve got to vote no on the recall. Keep Gavin as governor. The rest of America is counting on you.”

Biden’s appearance at the campaign rally was expected to provide a last-minute boost to Newsom just hours before voting ends in Tuesday’s recall election. Voters will decide whether Newsom should be recalled and, if so, who should replace him. Conservative talk show host Larry Elder is the Republican front-runner in the polls.

Biden called Elder “a clone of Donald Trump” and asked, “Can you imagine him being the governor of this state?”

“You can’t let that happen,” he said.

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In Newsom, Californians have a governor “who has the courage to lead” on issues such as protecting workers, supporting women’s rights and dealing with climate change, Biden said.

Biden also praised Newsom as one of the leading governors in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Newsom was the first governor in the country to issue a statewide stay-at-home order that shuttered many businesses for months and kept kids out of classrooms.

“Gavin will be a governor who will help us finish the job,” he said. “Send a message to the nation: Courage matters. Leadership matters. Science matters.”

Michael Collins covers the White House. Follow him on Twitter @mcollinsNEWS.

Contributing: The Associated Press

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