Well, that is quite a complicated title. Let me explain.

California is one of the states that allows voters, by collecting enough signatures, to have a recall election where the electorate decides whether or not to recall the governor, as well as select a new one. They actually did this before, in 2003, leading to the election of Arnold Schwarzenegger as the governor of California, which was a pretty incredible story at the time.

California, is, in the parlance of our times, a "Deep Blue" state, and in 2018, Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, won with over 60% of the vote. That the voters of California would be willing to recall him seemed like an improbable idea, but a few things happened. First, the pandemic, which Newsom was mostly a "hawk" on, despite some personal slip-ups. Second, the continuing break with reality that the Republican Party has been living in since the 2020 United States Presidential Election. Some of them believe that the majority of the country (including California) really shares their belief system, and that electoral failures are either a result of "widespread voter fraud" or that candidates just weren't ardent enough.

There were some polls that showed that this strat might have been working. A few weeks ago, some polls showed the recall neck and neck. A lack of voter enthusiasm for an off-year recall election might allow the most dedicated supporters to win more than 50% of the vote to recall, followed by a vote for multiple candidates to replace Newsom. However, as the election got closer, polls showed Newsom pulling away. And on election night, the recall was quickly called, after 30 minutes, as a win for "No". Newsom would not be recalled. As of this current writing, (the next day), with 70% of the vote reported, "No" has won 64% of the vote. While the margin may change, it was a pretty conclusive result.

If the goal for the recall effort was to win, they would probably be having some very serious second thoughts right now. But, to put it bluntly, the goal was not to win. The goal was to harass, and to sow fear, uncertainty, and doubt. In video game terms, the Republican Parties goal right now is griefing: finding loopholes in game mechanics that cause annoyance and frustration in others. Instead of trying to find attractive governing strategies, or even ways to win elections, the Republican Party's goal is to create as much confusion and distrust as possible. And in that, they are succeeding.