Larry Elder, Failed GOP Gubernatorial Candidate, Announces He’s Running Against Trump

After a failed attempt to unseat California Governor Gavin Newsom in a recall election, Republican commentator Larry Elder has announced that he’s set his sights on the White House.

On Thursday’s episode of Tucker Carlson Tonight, Elder launched his campaign for President, joining a growing cohort of Republican contenders seeking to nab the GOP nomination from former President Donald Trump.

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“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,” Elder said.

The newly minted candidate went on to express his concern over what he described as an epidemic of fatherlessness in the country, and his belief that “the disgraceful lie the Democrats put on everything that America is systematically racist” was poisoning the country.

“America is in decline, but this decline is not inevitable,” Elder declared on Twitter. “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 was the leading candidate in the California GOP’s effort to recall Governor Newsom but was handily defeated, winning 48 percent of the vote compared to Newsom’s 61 percent.

The career libertarian’s decision to run as a Republican adds to the growing cohort of figures opposing Trump’s bid for a second term. Other declared candidates include Ambassador Tulsi Gabbard, former Governor of Arkansas Asa Hutchinson, and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy.

In a long-winded rant preempting his announcement, Elder railed against critics who had branded his policies and positions as racist and discriminatory. The radio host has a long history of minimizing racism in the United States and defending racist statements made by his allies in the conservative movement.

While Elder’s entrance into the GOP fray will likely serve to skim off a few percentage points from other candidates, Trump remains the clear front runner in the race for the nomination. The former president is consistently leading in polling against declared candidates by significant margins.

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