Caitlyn Jenner Announces Gubernatorial Campaign to Replace Newsome

LOS ANGELES — Former Olympic athlete and reality television star Caitlyn Jenner announced Friday in a press release she will launch a campaign to become the next governor of California.

Jenner, a Republican, has been a vocal critic of current Gov. Gavin Newsom throughout his tenure. Newsom faces a potential gubernatorial recall election as California Secretary of State Shirley Weber works to validate over 2 million signatures from petitions in favor of the recall. 

California law mandates recall elections if petitioners accumulate signatures that match at least 12% of the votes cast in the previous election for the office. The only successful gubernatorial recall in the state’s history happened in 2003 when voters ousted then-Gov. Gray Davis and replaced him with actor Arnold Schwarzenegger. 

“I have been a compassionate disruptor throughout my life, from representing the United States and winning a gold medal at the Olympics to helping advance the movement for equality,” Jenner said in a written statement. “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.” 

If at least 1,495,709 of the signatures submitted by March 17 are certified, a recall election is triggered. A recall election would present voters with two questions. The first would be, retain or recall Newsom. The second would ask who should succeed Newsom if he is recalled. If a majority vote to recall Newsom the candidate with the most votes would win the election, no majority is needed.

In her announcement, Jenner said the decision to run for the office was spurred by “one-party rule that places politics over progress and special interests over people.” Newsom characterized the recall attempt as “backed by the RNC, anti-mask and anti-vax extremists, and pro-Trump forces who want to overturn the last election,” in a March email to his constituents. 

Jenner described her political beliefs as “economically conservative, socially progressive,” in a June 2020 interview with People magazine. Jenner also publicly rescinded her support of former President Donald Trump over his administration’s treatment of the LGBTQ community. 

“Small businesses have been devastated because of the over-restrictive lockdown,” Jenner said in a written statement. “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.”