The No's have it - Gov. Gavin Newsom survives in California recall election

California Gov. Gavin Newsom will keep his job steering the nation's most populous state.

A majority of Californians have voted no - meaning against removing Newsom from office - in Tuesday's recall election of the embattled first-term Democratic governor.

Newsom, who was overwhelmingly elected governor in 2018 in the heavily blue state, was facing a recall drive sparked last year mainly over accusations that he mishandled his state’s response to the coronavirus, the worst pandemic to strike the globe in a century.

The governor, who cruised to major victory, said soon after the Associated Press projected his win that "no was not the only thing that was expressed tonight."

"We said yes to science, yes to vaccines, yes to ending this pandemic," he emphasized.