Larry Elder, a conservative talk radio host who unsuccessfully sought to unseat Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) in California’s 2021 recall election, has announced that he is running for the Republican nomination for president.
“America is in decline, but this decline is not inevitable,” Elder said in a tweet late Thursday. “We can enter a new American Golden Age, but we must choose a leader who can bring us there. That’s why I’m running for President.”
Elder joins a growing Republican field led by former president Donald Trump that also includes former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley, former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson and tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) announced an exploratory committee last week; Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and former vice president Mike Pence are also eyeing bids.
Elder finished atop a large field of challengers to Newsom in the attempted recall and would have replaced him had voters not overwhelmingly voted to keep the Democratic incumbent in office.
During his bid for governor, Elder opposed the minimum wage, called for letting employers ask female applicants whether they plan to get pregnant, rejected the coronavirus vaccine mandate for state workers and endorsed Trump’s false assertion that the 2020 presidential election was fraudulent.
In preparation for the gubernatorial recall election, Elder set up part of his campaign website as a place to report potential voter fraud and made clear that if he lost, he would assert that the reason was fraud.
On election night, however, he conceded about two hours after the polls closed, telling supporters, “We may have lost the battle, but we are going to win the war.”
On his website for his fledgling presidential bid, Elder emphasizes fighting crime, expanding school choice, fostering racial harmony, addressing inflation, improving the economy and securing the border, among other priorities.
During an appearance Thursday night on Fox News, Elder said he was inspired by family members to serve the country.
“My father was a World War II vet,” Elder told host Tucker Carlson. “He served on the island of Guam. He was a Marine. My older brother, late older brother, Kirk, was in the Navy during the Vietnam era. My little brother Dennis actually served in Vietnam in the Army. I’m the only one who didn’t serve, and I don’t feel good about that. I feel I have a moral, religious and a patriotic duty to give back to a country that’s been so good to my family and me. And that is why I am doing this.”
Scott Wilson contributed to this report.