Conservative talk show host Larry Elder has announced his campaign for governor of California, joining a crowded field of Republican candidates attempting to oust Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom in the upcoming recall election.
"Maybe, just maybe, I can do something about this," Elder said during his show on the Salem Radio Network on Monday. "The target is Gavin Newsom. It is time for this man to go."
The radio host said he was inspired to enter the race by the state’s ongoing homelessness crisis, a rise in crime, likely power and water shortages, and the COVID-19 lockdowns.
"I’m running for Governor because the decline of California isn’t the fault of its people. Our government is what’s ruining the Golden State," reads a statement on his campaign website. "Our streets aren’t safe from rising violent crime or the disaster of rising homelessness. And the scandals of Sacramento aren’t going to stop on their own. It’s time to tell the truth. We’ve got a state to save."
“I have common sense. I have good judgment. I’m born and raised here. I think I understand the state,” he said on the air on Monday.
“I know it’s a long shot,” he added, noting the fundraising advantage held by the incumbent, but said that he has a “fire in the belly to see if I can do something ... to move the needle in the right direction.”
Elder, who is Black, went on to dispute the claim that the recall is an “effort led by [former President Donald] Trump white nationalists.”
He asked: “Do I look like a white nationalist?”
He also said “I think this is a race between Gavin Newsom and me. I don’t think about the other candidates.”
The other candidates for the GOP nomination include former U.S. Rep. Doug Ose; former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer; Newsom’s 2018 opponent, businessman John Cox; state Assemblyman Kevin Kiley; and reality TV star and former Olympic athlete Caitlyn Jenner.
A spokesperson for Newsom’s campaign said in a statement that Elder is “another Trump supporter” vying for his base of voters.