Larry Elder opens up about racism, school choice and repealing COVID mandates – Orange County Register

Larry Elder doesn’t drink coffee. But if Gov. Gavin Newsom is recalled on September 14 and Elder is elected the next governor of California, he says he will repeal statewide vaccines and masks aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus on day one, before her “first cup of tea.”

The conservative radio talk show host made the promise during a rally with some 700 people at a donor’s house in Newport Beach on Saturday night.

With the current mask and vaccine mandates pushed by Newsom, California has the 36th lowest case rate out of 50 states plus Puerto Rico, according to federal health data. But case rates are rising and some rural hospitals this week ran out of intensive care unit beds. Elder did not tell the crowd on Saturday what he would have do to combat the spread of the virus, and he did not respond to questions from the press.

The rally comes as Elder, 69, is increasingly watched over by his past comments and treatment of women.

Her former producer and ex-fiancee Alexandra Datig recently told Politico that Elder pointed a loaded gun at her as they argued at the end of their relationship in 2015. Elder denied the request on Saturday night.

“I never gave up a gun, loaded or unloaded, to anyone,” he said.

“Is that the best you can do?” He said to his detractors. ” They are afraid. They died of fear. “

The crowd responded by cheering “Larry! Larry! “

Reports have also circulated about Elder saying he supported companies refusing to hire women if they were considering getting pregnant and telling him he did not believe there was a pay gap or cap. of glass based on sex. He said welfare “makes women marry government” and that President Donald Trump motivated obese women to get up from the couch as they marched against him in 2018.

Such comments don’t bother Claudia Montano, 57, of Newport Beach, who attended the rally in support of Elder. Montano said she did not believe the allegations, calling him an “honest and good man”. And she said she supports Elder because she believes he will increase police funding, support school choice, and make California more affordable.

Elder, who identifies as a libertarian, supports the elimination of the minimum wage. He also told the crowd he would use emergency powers as governor to overturn regulations he says prevent home builders from building in California.

Elder is one of 46 candidates vying to replace Newsom. He has raised more than $ 5 million since entering the race in mid-July and several polls now place him ahead of the pack. The recent FiveThirtyEight poll average gives Elder 19.3% of the vote, followed by Democrat and YouTube star Kevin Paffrath with 9.1%.

But all of these polls show a significant number of undecided voters, making the September 14 election result far from clear.

Details of Elder’s plans to tackle some of the key issues facing California are also unclear.

Elder has so far refused to participate in debates with other GOP challengers. And just like former President Donald Trump, Elder has developed an adversarial relationship with some prominent media. His campaign recently cut off all access to the Sacramento Bee due to a conflict in the newspaper’s candidate questionnaire.

This left reporters and voters alike largely dependent on his comments at events like Saturday’s rally, his campaign website, and his history as a radio host to get a feel for how he would rule California. .

Elder said at his rally in Newport Beach that Ben Carson, who served as Housing and Urban Development secretary under Donald Trump, gave him a plan to tackle homelessness. Homelessness did not decrease nationwide while Carson led the HUD and Elder did not share details of Carson’s plan.

Elder says education reform is a top priority. He supports vouchers and charter schools, citing Trump’s Education Secretary Betsy DeVos as an example of someone whose philosophy he admires. And he specifically criticized the teachers ‘unions before criticizing all the civil servants’ unions.

But Elder has spoken on behalf of the police. Much of his speech on Saturday was devoted to tackling allegations that the United States has a problem with racism and that the police are part of that problem. Elder, who is black, has talked about former President Barack Obama as much as he has talked about Newsom, saying that Obama “has helped advance the bogus narrative of systemic racism.”

“Systemic racism is not the problem and critical race theory and remedies are not the answer,” Elder said, to applause from the crowd.

Elder’s rally took place on tennis courts outside the home of Orange County developer and longtime GOP broker Buck Johns, which has become the center of a recent controversy over the plans. County to sell him an expanse of public land adjacent to his property in Upper Newport Bay for only $ 13,000.

Johns Tennis Courts have hosted GOP politicians since the 1980s, when figures like then-US Senator Pete Wilson and Vice President Dan Quayle hosted receptions there.

Prior to Elder’s speech, Bishop Gale Oliver of the Greater Light Family Church in Santa Ana said he had not decided how he would vote on the recall or who to support if he voted yes.

Oliver said he was not sure anyone would have handled the pandemic better than Newsom. “We were all trying to figure out what is what.” Oliver said he likes what he heard from Elder on the fight against homelessness. He also likes the story of Elder.

Elder calls himself “the sage of South Central” because of his childhood in South Central Los Angeles.

After graduating from Crenshaw High, Elder earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Brown University, followed by a law degree from the University of Michigan Law School. He was general counsel in Ohio before returning to California.

He hosted the national radio show “The Larry Elder Show” in Los Angeles for almost 30 years. This earned him a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2015 and made him a frequent guest on “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” “Hannity,” and other Fox News shows.

Elder’s position on key issues is also reflected in several books he has written. His 2001 book “Ten Things You Can’t Say in America” ​​covers claims such as “Blacks are more racist than Whites” and “There is no crisis in health care.” And his latest book, slated for release in July, is titled “Canceling the Left: 76 People Who Would Make America Better by Leaving It”. The description reads “Larry Elder has a message for the elite leftists who don’t like America.” Let. The left likes to complain about the horror of America. … These people should pack their bags and start their progressive paradise elsewhere.

A significant portion of Elder’s campaign website is devoted to detailing what he sees as problems in California, including blackouts, homelessness, fires, crime, business departures and the affordability.

The Elder campaign is expected to hold a rally Sunday afternoon in Fresno.