Five of the 46 candidates running in the Sept. 14 gubernatorial special election spoke to The Panther, each representing different motivations and ideologies on the ballot. From left to right: Michael Loebs, Dan Kapelovitz, John R. Drake, Nickolas Wildstar, Adam Papagan. Photos courtesy of each candidate

What do a hip-hop artist, a tour guide and a college student have in common? It may sound like the start of a bad joke, but there is one thing connecting these people: they’re all running in the Sept. 14 recall election against California Gov. Gavin Newsom. 

The ballot asks two questions; first, whether Newsom should be recalled, and second, who should replace the governor if he is removed from office. With 46 names on the ballot, this gubernatorial special election brought forth a diverse array of candidates across the political spectrum -- 19 more than were on the ballot in the 2018 election. Even so, it fails to surpass the 135 candidates who ran in the 2003 recall election of then California Gov. Gray Davis.

A Sept. 10 poll by the Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies places Newsom in the lead, with 60.1% of respondents set to vote against the recall. Nevertheless, he is facing top challengers like Republican conservative radio host Larry Elder, San Diego businessman and Republican John Cox, former San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer and lone leading Democratic candidate Kevin Paffrath. Although not a favorite to win, reality TV star and former Olympic gold medalist Caitlyn Jenner is also running under the Republican ticket.

There’s few required qualifications for governor of California are that they are an American citizen, a resident of the state for at least five years prior to running and a registered voter. Beyond this, it is up to the voters to decide upon the candidate they feel most qualified for the job.

The Panther spoke to five candidates running against Newsom in the recall election, each representing a different political background.

Nickolas Wildstar — Republican Party

Political activist and hip-hop artist Nickolas Wildstar ran for governor in 2014 and 2018 as an Independent candidate and as a Libertarian, respectively. He said he felt compelled to run for office because he did not believe the elected officials truly represent the will of the people.

“(I am running for) the same reasons I did the first time, which is a failure in leadership that’s just continuing on from Sacramento,” Wildstar told The Panther. “Whether it’s (former Governor) Jerry Brown or Gavin Newsom in charge, (there) seems to be a disconnect between our representatives and the people they’re supposed to represent.”

Wildstar aims to eliminate all forms of taxes in the state of California, opting instead to promote alternative funding for public goods, such as providing naming rights of highways to the highest bidder. 

Having volunteered at soup kitchens and been involved in helping homeless people, Wildstar believes that the majority of homelessness in California is a result of economic hardship, which he ties to rising tax rates.

“Sales tax, gas tax and property tax all seem to be skyrocketing and making it unaffordable for people to stay in the state,” Wildstar said. “Once I get elected, I will be canceling taxes, and then there will be no collection of income tax, sales tax or property tax.”

Although Wildstar considers his policy preferences more in alignment with the Republican Party than the Democratic Party, his platform differs from his chosen party on issues like climate change, immigration and abortion. As a self-proclaimed, staunch believer in freedom of choice, he supports women’s reproductive rights and is also against vaccine or mask mandates.

Furthermore, he believes there should be a larger discussion around alternative remedies to COVID-19, including unapproved treatments such as ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine. 

“I think it has to do with an incentive to promote Big Pharma products,” Wildstar said. “We see some sort of a kickback from that due to cronyism with the special relationships with our government officials and the lobbyists.”

Wildstar believes he can win this election, but in the case he does not, he is also a declared candidate for the 2022 gubernatorial election.

John R. Drake — Democratic Party

20-year-old John R. Drake, a recent Ventura College graduate, urges voters to vote “no” on the recall of Newsom. However, in case Newsom loses the recall, he put his name on the ballot as a progressive option.

“I’m running because I saw most of the candidates and was very appalled by them,” Drake told The Panther. “I thought, ‘Man, all these people are garbage.’ They have terrible policies, and none of them are including young people in the conversation. My campaign has been very much about giving young people a voice in government.”

Drake sums up his campaign in three points: affordable housing, affordable education and affordable healthcare. 

“Housing is completely unaffordable in the modern age; wages have not kept up with inflation,” Drake said. “I believe in a housing first initiative, where we house everyone without any sort of requirements to do it — like the Scandinavian, or more specifically, Finnish housing first model.”

Although Drake said voters should cast their votes toward Newsom, he is not entirely supportive of the politician. 

“I don’t like the dude, but he’s better than any Republican,” Drake said.

He further called Newsom a “terrible politician” in reference to Newsom’s publicized dinner with a lobbyist in November 2020, when outdoor dining wasn’t allowed in California due to COVID-19 restrictions. 

Nevertheless, Drake believes Newsom to be a much better choice than his leading Republican challenger, Larry Elder. 

“I cannot stress how bad Larry Elder is,” Drake said. “I hate the dude with much of my spirit. He’s an awful human being.”

Although Drake does not believe he has any chances of winning this election, he will be running again in the 2022 Democratic primaries — unless a progressive candidate he supports, such as CA-45 Rep. Katie Porter, runs.

Dan Kapelovitz — Green Party

“Can you dig it?” 

Dan Kapelovitz routinely receives calls from voters quoting his esoteric, three-word caption in the voter information guide, which is supplemented by a photo of him wearing a pair of wide-frame retro sunglasses. Since getting published in the voter guide costs $25 per word, Kapelovitz didn’t think it was worth it to include a longer caption.

“That’s probably the most controversial thing I’ve done (during my campaign) — I think it’s a good slogan,” Kapelovitz told The Panther. “It’s open for interpretation; it includes everybody.”

Kapelovitz has been a criminal defense attorney for nine years. He currently serves on a panel appointed by the court to handle the defense of individuals who are unable to pay for counsel when public defenders have a conflict of interest. As a supporter of animal rights, he also practices animal law, defending animal rights activists. 

He used the word “justice” to describe his campaign platform — be it justice for humans, animals or the environment. 

“As a criminal defense attorney I see so much injustice,” Kapelovitz said. “I just hate when we throw people in prison for decades and decades and it does more harm than good ... I think we should work on preventing crime instead of just throwing people in jail after the fact.”

If he were to win the election, Kapelovitz said he’d press for ranked-choice voting to end the dominance of the two-party system, subsidize renewable energy in lieu of fossil fuels and strengthen laws protecting animal rights in the meat industry. 

Kapelovitz usually votes “no party preference,” but he chose to run under the Green Party in this election due to its position as an established third-party. Although he believes that the recall election is a “right-wing plot” and that Newsom has faced some unjust criticism during the pandemic, he hopes to make a good showing in the polls for the party, even if he doesn’t win the election. 

Michael Loebs — California National Party

Michael Loebs, a political science lecturer at San Francisco State University, does not believe the two major political parties are capable of addressing the needs of the state of California. 

As a member of the California National Party, which seeks political independence of California from the U.S. as a long-time goal, Loebs believes politicians from both parties are more concerned with their careers in the federal government than the needs of the state.

“Our goal is to be a pragmatic, problem-solving party focusing on the specificity of the issues facing California and trying to come up with a California-centric solution,” Loebs told The Panther. “Ultimately we think the best solution for California is independence, but even for people who don’t buy that — or don’t buy it yet — I think many of us can agree the two-party system is failing California and the recall itself is just a symptom of that.”

In response to the pandemic’s economic consequences for individuals, Loebs believes the current social safety net should be replaced with a system of Universal Basic Income (UBI) and negative income tax (NIT) to every Californian regardless of income. He also believes that automatic medical enrollment should be provided to all Californians. 

Ultimately, regardless of the election’s outcome, Loebs believes his run for office can be counted as a success in itself. 

“(The recall election) gave (the California National Party) a clear goal … (getting on the ballot) was an arduous process (that) I think got the party unified,” Loebs said. “It’s gotten us media attention, it’s gotten us some good press, it’s gotten us some good interviews and I think that’s an important starting place.”

Adam Papagan — No Party Preference

Like his friend of twenty years Dan Kapelovitz, Adam Papagan opted to keep his caption in the voter guide short and positive: “Love U.”

Papagan, a tour guide and entertainer, has always wanted to run for office. At the age of 15, Papagan decided to create a campaign that emphasized political literacy and transparency, during the 2003 California recall election.

“This campaign is, more than anything, about educating people on what it takes to run for office, what the pitfalls are, what the barricades are and what paperwork you need to file,” said Papgan, who has been documenting his campaign this year on social media.

Papagan believes having as many candidates as possible running for office is a desirable circumstance.

“I would love if (in) every election there were 40 candidates to choose from instead of just two guys you don’t like,” Papagan said. 

Although Papagan would like a progressive candidate in office, he is not willing to settle for Newsom and believes people should vote to recall him. He said Newsom is “out of touch” and believes he is beholden to special interests over the needs of the people.

“I think anybody who’s running and says ‘Oh, I’m against the recall, but vote for me anyway,’ (is) hypocritical,” Papagan said. “You’ve got to put your money where your mouth is.”