'I'm in': Caitlyn Jenner announces bid for California governor

Caitlyn Jenner, the former Olympic athlete-turned-transgender activist and reality TV star, has declared her intention to run for California governor in the looming recall race to unseat incumbent Democrat Gavin Newsom.

In a website launched Friday, Jenner says: "I'm In! 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."

The website does not identify her as being affiliated with any political party.

She added: "This campaign will be powered by everyday Californians who deserve leadership that is accountable to them, not the special interests in Sacramento."

Jenner, a longtime Republican, in 2018 executed a political about-face, turning against then-President Donald Trump with a mea culpa column declaring, "I was wrong" about Trump's commitment to LGBTQ rights.

"Trump was the first Republican presidential candidate to claim to support this valuable, vulnerable community, and I was encouraged by the applause he received when he said at the Republican National Convention in July 2016 that he would stand up for the LGBTQ community," Jenner said in a column published in the Washington Post.

"Sadly, I was wrong. The reality is that the trans community is being relentlessly attacked by this president...He has ignored our humanity. He has insulted our dignity. He has made trans people into political pawns as he whips up animus against us in an attempt to energize the most right-wing segment of his party..."

In a June 2020 interview with People about the five-year anniversary of her transition, Jenner said she has "changed her political views."

"I've changed my thinking in a lot of ways," she told the outlet. Now identifying as "economically conservative, socially progressive," she believes "we need equality for all, regardless of who's in the White House."

Newsom opponents, frustrated with the governor's liberal policies and approach to the COVID-19 pandemic, in March turned in what they said was over 2 million petition signatures to qualify a recall election against him. The California secretary of state is in the process of validating those signatures; however, most observers expect the measure to reach the necessary valid signature count of about 1.5 million. An election could be held in October or November.

Others who have declared their intention to run include John Cox, a Republican businessman who lost to Newsom in 2018 and is running again; former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer; and ex-U.S. Rep. Doug Ose, who last held office in 2005. None is close to a household name.

Newsom, who was elected governor in 2018, previously served as lieutenant governor and mayor of San Francisco.

Newsom has been aggressively touring the state, touting its progress on vaccines. He has said he is taking the recall effort "very seriously" but has branded the drive as a “partisan political power grab” and the work of extremist conservatives and white supremacists like the Proud Boys.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Caitlyn Jenner announces bid for California governor