very unfortunate for newsom if he gets recalled. political fortunes are tied to positivity and hospitalization rates due to the wuhan virus. before the delta variant became dominant in california, the state’s positivity rate plunged to 0.69% in june 2021, lowest since march 2020. the recall campaign was already underway, but newsom enjoyed a resurgence in confidence and hope among voters, including those on the fence. it looked like the recall would be a waste of time, resulting in nothing. with the delta variant now increasing ca’s positivity rate to almost 6.9% (more than a 6.9-fold increase) and hospitalization cases in the thousands (4,561 as of june 30), newsom’s numbers and popularity take a dive, even among democratic and progressive supporters. over 56.9% of liberals now want a new governor. it may not be a republican governor, but dems in ca are getting tired of newsom with the latest bad news. newsom would never undo the opening of the economy, for obvious (political) reasons. another lockdown, even if it’s a quarter or semi, will unravel his governorship and political career for good. the virus is apolitical and has no respect for who’s in charge, including biden. expect both newsom’s and biden’s poll numbers to collapse if either the delta or a new dominant variant is to resurge in fall and winter.