CAN’T RECALL: Democrats immediately rallied behind Gov. Gavin Newsom today in response to another recall threat. Much has changed since the 2020-2021 recall drive. Most importantly, California has emerged from a Covid-19 pandemic that fanned voter frustration and won Newsom antagonists a critical 120-day signature-gathering extension. Newsom has resoundingly won two statewide elections, rebuffing the recall and handily winning a second term. But one dynamic hasn’t shifted: California Democrats’ full-throated support for their standard-bearer. No prominent Democrats ran as a backup last time as the party closed ranks, and Newsom cruised. This time, with that experience in mind, Democrats sounded a common theme: Bring it on. Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis vowed California would again defeat “the dark forces of Donald Trump.” California Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks said Democrats “would beat them again” if the effort qualifies, while Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire went with “trounce them again.” SEIU California President David Huerta reiterated the labor support that propelled Newsom to victory in 2021. On the national level, Sen. Alex Padilla said Newsom “won’t be distracted” by “the same MAGA Republicans” again “playing political games.” Sen. Laphonza Butler said Republicans who lost by double digits are “trying the same and hoping for a dif result.” The Democratic Governors Association, which spent more than $9 million to save Newsom last time, promised to again help shield Newsom against what it called a “massive waste of time, energy, and resources.” As for the governor himself: Newsom dismissed the campaign as a distraction from an “existential fight for democracy and reproductive freedom” — a fight into which he’s pouring millions of dollars, a good chunk of which is leftover money he’d raised beating the last recall. And then he blasted out an email to raise more. Republicans were conspicuously quieter. But a California conservative who championed the 2021 recall, Randy Economy, was notably pessimistic. Economy told POLITICO’s Christopher Cadelago it was a “waste of time” to target the “un-recallable” Newsom given how blue California is. “He’s termed out and he’s done,” Economy said. “Go bang your head against the wall if you want to." IT’S MONDAY AFTERNOON. This is California Playbook PM, a POLITICO newsletter that serves as an afternoon temperature check on California politics and a look at what our policy reporters are watching. Got tips or suggestions? Shoot an email to jwhite@politico.com or send a shout on X. DMs are open. | 
