Larry Elder announces he won’t run for California governor in 2022
Larry Elder
LOS ANGELES - Conservative talk show radio host and former gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder announced Tuesday he will not run for California governor against Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2022.
Elder said that he will instead focus on the newly founded Elder for America political action committee, which "will focus on helping Republicans take back the House and Senate."
"I ran for Governor because I wanted to make a difference," Elder said. "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."
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Elder received 43% of the vote in the California gubernatorial recall election in September. However, Newsom prevailed as an estimated 67% voted "no" on the recall election, keeping the Democrat governor in office.
According to Elder for America, Elder's recall campaign raised about $22.5 million in eight weeks.
RELATED: Californians vote no on recall election, keeping Dem. Governor Newsom in office
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2020 RECALL ELECTION
The push for the recall began in June of 2020 over claims that Newsom mishandled the state's response to the pandemic. The effort was fueled by the state's COVID restrictions on businesses and houses of worship, school shutdowns and even opposition to the state's high taxes.
The governor faced heavy criticism during his time in office over his response to the state's homelessness crisis, COVID-19 and rising crime in major cities across the state.
Newsom was also hit by fallout from a multibillion-dollar fraud scandal at the state unemployment agency.
He was also publicly shamed for dining out with friends and lobbyists at the French Laundry while telling residents to stay home for safety. FOX 11 obtained exclusive photos of Newsom's infamous outing.
California is one of the country’s most heavily Democratic states. Democratic voters outnumber Republicans by nearly 2-to-1, and the party controls every statewide office and dominates the Legislature and congressional delegation.
Newsom is only the fourth governor in U.S. history and the second in California to face a recall.
The last time a recall election was held in California was 2003 when Democratic Gov. Gray Davis was recalled and replaced by Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The Associated Press and City News Service contributed to this report.
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