Written by Bobbie Wylie
On Tuesday, former gubernatorial candidate and conservative talk show host Larry Elder announced that he will not be running for California State Governor in 2022.
Elder says he will, instead, focus on the newly founded political action committee, Elder for America, which “will focus on helping Republicans take back the House and Senate.”
Elder says, “I ran for Governor because I wanted to make a difference.” As for the future, Elder says, “While I may not know what the future holds for me politically, our campaign’s ability to attract millions of votes and millions of dollars in a very short time demonstrates we have a message that resonates with Americans, and I believe we can put that to good use.”
Larry Elder came first among forty other candidates, when he received 43% of the vote in last September’s recall election. Incumbent Democrat Gavin Newson prevailed in the recall election, receiving approximately 67% of the vote to keep him in office. Had California recalled Gavin Newsom, Elder would have succeeded him and would have finished out Newsom’s first term.
Elder for America says it will aim to “engage in public education campaigns, direct voter contact, and fundraising to help Republicans win key seats in the House and Senate, and effect public policy on the local level.”
According to Elder for America, Larry Elder’s campaign for the 2021 recall election raised approximately $22.5 million in only eight weeks.
With Elder’s announcement comes concern from Republicans as to who will run for California State Governor in 2022 and attempt to oust Democrat Gavin Newsom from office. Former Mayor of San Diego Kevin Faulconer has stated that he is considering a gubernatorial run in 2022. Faulconer also ran in the recall, coming in third behind Elder.
Photo Cred: Ringo Chiu/AFP via Getty Images
