Gov. Gavin Newsom and Republican Larry Elder, the leading candidate trying to replace him in the upcoming recall election, on Thursday accused each other of putting the lives of Californians at risk, an increase in campaign hostilities that comes a day after a new poll showed the governor appeared likely to survive efforts to oust him from office.

Appearing in San Francisco’s Chinatown, Newsom attacked Elder for vowing to immediately rescind the state’s public school mask mandates and vaccine requirements for state and healthcare workers, a change the governor said would reverse California’s success in mitigating the spread of the coronavirus. COVID-19.

“That’s a life and death decision,” Newsom said of the Sept. 14 recall vote at a news conference with Asian American leaders supporting his campaign.