The 2021 California gubernatorial recall election is an upcoming special election on whether to recall Governor Gavin Newsom which will be held on September 14, 2021. Before this election, the only other gubernatorial recall attempt in California that qualified for a general vote happened in 2003, which resulted in Gray Davis being replaced by actor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The recall election will be the fourth gubernatorial recall election ever held in the United States. This election is the result of one of at least 54 attempts in California's history to remove an elected governor from office and one of six efforts to remove Newsom. Every California governor since 1960 has faced a formal recall attempt. The recall comes amidst a surge in recall efforts targeting local elected officials ac