Caitlyn Jenner, Olympic gold medalist and transgender activist, announced that she will be running for California Governor.
71-year-old Jenner made the announcement saying she had filed paperwork to run for the office.
Current Democratic Governor, Gavin Newsom, may face a recall election this year which would be California’s second-ever recall election, opening up the opportunity for Jenner and any other candidate willing to run. However officials are still reviewing the petition signatures needed to trigger such a vote.
Newsom’s popularity took a hit after he introduced stay-at-home orders during the pandemic that forced schools and thousands of businesses to close. He was also heavily criticized for dining out with friends and lobbyists at an exclusive San Francisco Bay Area restaurant at a time when residents were subject to a partial lockdown.
Still, recent polling suggests the 53-year-old would hold his seat if a vote takes place.
Jenner took to Twitter criticizing Newsom saying, “Californians want better and need better from their politicians.”
“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.”
Jenner will be running as a Republican which is no surprise after backing former President Donald Trump in his 2016 election campaign. However she later criticized his administration’s reversal of a directive on transgender access to public school bathrooms. She also criticized Trump for saying that transgender people would not be allowed to serve in the US military.
Jenner is the most high-profile non-politician to vie for the post since Arnold Schwarzenegger launched his successful Republican bid in 2003.
