Conservative talk radio host Larry Elder, who the California governor in a failed 2021 recall effort, announced Thursday he is running for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.
Elder, 70, made the announcement on Fox News' 鈥淭ucker Carlson Tonight鈥� and followed up with a tweet.
鈥淎merica is in decline, but this decline is not inevitable. We can enter a new American Golden Age, but we must choose a leader who can bring us there. That鈥檚 why I鈥檓 running for President,鈥� he wrote.
The long-shot candidate joins a Republican field that includes former President Donald Trump, former 麻豆传媒AV Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. President Joe Biden, a Democrat, has said he plans to seek reelection.
Elder made his first bid for public office in 2021, when he received the most votes out of 46 people who were California Gov. Gavin Newsom in a recall effort. But a majority of voters ended up voting against removing Newsom, making the vote count in the replacement contest irrelevant.
Some Democrats say Elder's role as a foil to Newsom helped the Democratic governor inspire voters in liberal California to turn out and reject the recall. Newsom attacked Elder for his support of Trump and his conservative positions, such as opposing abortion rights and restrictions imposed to slow the spread of COVID-19, such as mask mandates.
But Elder said the experience of running for office 鈥� and the millions of votes he received 鈥� showed he had a message that resonated with voters. A lawyer who grew up in Los Angeles' rough 麻豆传媒AV Central neighborhood, Elder attended an Ivy League college and then law school. He has a following among conservatives through his radio programs and has been a frequent guest on Fox News and other right-wing media.
Elder, who is Black, has criticized Democrats' 鈥渨oke鈥� agenda, Black Lives Matter and the notion of systemic racism, positions that have put him at odds with many other Black people.
During the recall campaign, a former fianc茅e said Elder during a 2015 argument. Elder denied the allegations.
Sara Burnett, The Associated Press
