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发帖数: 4796 | 1 'I'm in': Caitlyn Jenner announces bid for California governor
Updated 2:37 pm EDT Apr. 23, 2021
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 whenhe said at the Republican National Convention in July
2016that he would stand up for the LGBTQ community," Jenner saidin 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 thefive-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 theCOVID-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 includeJohn 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 asa “partisan political power grab” and the
work of extremist conservatives and white supremacists like the Proud Boys.
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Originally Published 10:47 am EDT Apr. 23, 2021
**Updated 2:37 pm EDT Apr. 23, 2021** |
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