California Gov. Gavin Newsom may skip his appearance at the virtual Democratic National Convention to deal with the wildfires burning throughout the Golden State.
Newsom adviser Dan Newman told Politico that a line of storms has caused fires and rolling blackouts in California, forcing Newsom to “evaluat[e] options” for his planned remarks on Thursday night.
"The originally planned segment didn't make sense given the growth and severity of the fires," Newman said.
The California governor said on Wednesday that the state is battling 367 fires after getting hit with nearly 11,000 lightning strikes and record-high temperatures. The blazes include 23 "complex fires," which encompass “an area that has multiple fires within a proximate geographic area,” Newsom tweeted on Wednesday.
The fires got so bad Newsom declared a state of emergency in California on Monday.
The crisis may pull Newsom from his virtual appearance at the convention on Thursday, to deliver remarks that he described on Monday as “more of an engaged conversation with another well-known elected official.” Democratic nominee Joe Biden is scheduled to accept his nomination on Thursday.
While Newsom did not name the official in question, Thursday is also the night Democratic nominee Joe Biden will address the convention, likely drawing broad viewership.
Since the beginning of 2020, California has seen 6,754 fires, which far exceeded the 4,000 fires at this point in 2019, according to the governor’s office.
“I’m honored and certainly humbled by the privilege of having that time and that moment to engage with someone I have tremendous respect for,” Newsom said on Monday,according to the Sacramento Bee.
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