US: Gavin Newsom touts record amid California recall challenge

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is defending his record on a range of issues, from state's coronavirus response, to battling wildfires, to job creation as a host of Republican challengers are vying to oust Democrat in a recall election likely to be scheduled for fall.

"w is t time to waste hundreds of millions of dollars on a recall effort that is thing more than a partisan power grab,"

Newsom said during a recall-focused event on Tuesday with two firefighter unions, one of his first explicit campaign events.

Republicans John Cox and Caitlyn Jenner also pitched mselves to voters Tuesday in new campaign ads, taking different tones in ir bids to replace Newsom.

Cox, a 65-year-old businessman who lost in a landslide to Newsom in 2018, released a video calling himself “ beast" to photogenic Newsom's “beauty."

Launching a bus tour in Sacramento with a live Kodiak bear named Tag ambling behind him in hot sun, Cox promised to bring “beastly" changes to state government. He spent $5 million to begin airing a 30-second version on television statewide, his campaign said, a major amount this early in campaign and indicative of need to raise his profile in a crowded field.

Cox all but admitted bear's appearance was a stunt aimed at drawing eyes to his campaign, but promised to discuss “serious issues" - like bringing down cost of housing, boosting state's water resources and preventing special interests from influencing government.

Jenner, meanwhile, released a video with a more inspirational and patriotic tone. She calls herself a “compassionate disruptor" in ad that features clips from her Summer Olympics appearance in 1976, when she won gold medal in men's decathlon.

Jenner, w a 71-year-old trans woman, has held campaign events since anuncing her candidacy nearly two weeks ago, though a televised town hall in her hometown of Malibu is planned for Wednesday. ad offers her most expansive commentary as a candidate.

ad shows a photo of Newsom only once and never says his name, though she is clearly blasting his pandemic policies by highlighting closed businesses and kids out of school. Jenner's campaign didn't immediately answer wher campaign was running corresponding ads on television or wher pitch was digital only.

release of ads marked a new phase in campaign. Newsom wasn't expected to face an election until 2022, but critics of his coronavirus response and liberal policies succeeded in collecting more than 1.5 million signatures needed to for a recall election.

re are still several steps remaining before election is officially certified but signatures collection and verification were biggest hurdles. election will likely be scheduled for fall.

Or Republicans in race include former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and former Congressman Doug Ose.

Cox won less than 40% of vote against Newsom in 2018 and has never won elected office despite many attempts. But he said that run gives him a statewide base to grow this time around. Faulconer has t run a statewide campaign and Ose briefly ran for goverr in 2018 before dropping out.

Cox pitched himself Tuesday as a man who kws struggle. He grew up with a single mom, paid his way through college, and launched a succesful business career, mostly in real estate. He's already spent $10 million of his own money on race and said he is willing to spend more.

Jenner is working with several former aides to Trump.