FILE — In this July 13, 2021 file photo radio talk show host Larry Elder speaks to supporters during a campaign stop in Norwalk, Calif. Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP

Larry Elder teases 2024 presidential bid

Tori Richards December 19, 06:50 PM December 19, 06:53 PM Video Embed

Talk show host and former California gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder says he may run for president in 2024.

Elder, a Republican, made the surprising announcement Friday on Fox11 where he debated attorney Gloria Allred on a variety of political topics. Elder has been a frequent critic of the Left and its policies, particularly issues surrounding California and the state’s declining quality of life.

“How likely is it that you run for president?” asked Elex Michaelson, host of the program The Issue Is: with Elex Michaelson.

“There’s a strong possibility, let me put it like that,” Elder answered.

Elder said former President Donald Trump has a shrinking base of supporters as more Republicans are beginning to back Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL).

“It’s not going to be a coronation,” Elder said of Trump seeking the Republican Party nomination.

Elder jumped into the political arena last year when he was the top candidate to unseat Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) in a recall election fueled by mounting discontent of Californians angered over a yearlong state shutdown due to COVID-19. The mandate bankrupted businesses and caused a large exodus out of the state that included parents who wanted their children to attend school.

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Newsom beat the recall with 62% of the vote, but Elder pointed to the 3.5 million votes he obtained along with raising $22 million in seven weeks. In contrast, Republican nominee Brian Dahle received 2.4 million votes with $2 million in donations running against Newsom’s reelection bid in the 2022 midterm elections, Elder said.

After the recall election, Elder took a vacation to Florida, where he was asked by several people to consider running for president.

“A Republican has not won statewide in California since 2006,” Elder told the Washington Examiner. “Frankly, the electoral battlefield on a national level is far more inviting.”

Elder said he is not trying to displace anyone in particular on the Republican side but rather talk about issues that are not getting any attention.

“I want to tackle this nonsensical notion that America remains systemically racist,” said Elder, who is black. “And, we need to address the 800-pound elephant in the room, namely the large number of children who enter the world without a father in the home married to the mother.”

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The black population has more single families than Hispanics or whites, which leads to increased poverty, less education, and a higher likelihood of ending up in jail, he said.

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