Caitlyn Jenner to Run for Governor of California

Jordan Moreau
·3-min read

Caitlyn Jenner announced Friday that she has filed initial paperwork to run for governor of California in the expected recall election of Gov. Gavin Newsom.

“California has been my home for nearly 50 years. I came here because I knew that anyone, regardless of their background or station in life, could turn their dreams into reality. But for the past decade, we have seen the glimmer of the Golden State reduced by one-party rule that places politics over progress and special interests over people. Sacramento needs an honest leader with a clear vision,” she said in her official announcement on Twitter.

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A recall election hasn’t been made official, but enough support and signatures are expected this year to put a call to remove Newsom on the ballot. The former Olympic gold medalist and reality TV star called Newsom’s term as governor “disastrous” and promised to “clean up the damage” he has done to California.

“I have been compassionate disrupter throughout my life, from representing the United States and winning a gold medal at the Olympics to helping advance the movement for equality. As Californians, we face a now-or-never opportunity to fundamentally fix our state before it’s too late. Taking on entrenched Sacramento politicians and the special interests that fund them requires a fighter who isn’t afraid to do what is right. I am a proven winner and the only outsider who can put an end to Gavin Newsom’s disastrous time as governor,” Jenner said in her announcement.

Jenner, a longtime Republican, has hired Tony Fabrizio, a pollster on President Donald Trump’s 2016 and 2020 campaigns, according to Axios. She’s also enlisted the help of Brad Parscale, Trump’s former campaign manager, to gather her political team.

“Californians want better and deserve better from their governor. For too long, career politicians have over-promised and under-delivered. We need a leader with a vision and the resolve to see it through. This will be a campaign of solutions, providing a roadmap back to prosperity to turn this state around and finally clean up the damage Newsom has done to the state,” she said.

Jenner called California’s COVID-19 safety guidelines “over-restrictive” and took issue with the high tax rate and loss of jobs in the state.

“Small businesses have been devastated because of the over-restrictive lockdown. An entire generation of children have lost a year of education and have been prevented from going back to school, participating in activities or socializing with their friends. Taxes are too high, killing jobs, hurting families and putting an especially heavy burden on our most vulnerable people,” she said. “This isn’t the California we know. This is Gavin Newsom’s California, where he orders us to stay home but goes out to dinner with his lobbyist friends.”

Her formal campaign announcement is expected in the coming weeks.

“In the next few weeks, I will meet with Californians from across the state — from the North Bay to the Central Valley to Orange County to San Diego — to hear their voices and finally get this state moving in the right direction,” she said. “The significance of this description is not lost on me. The sacrifice is significant, but responsibility is great, and I can’t wait to lead, to help and most importantly to disrupt the status quo once again.”

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