Over the weekend, a preliminary list of candidates for the September 14 California gubernatorial recall election to remove Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom was released to the public. The list, released by California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber, contained 41 names.
Conspicuously absent from the list was that of conservative talk-radio host and author Larry Elder. Elder pulled papers and formally announced his candidacy on July 13, but his name wasn’t included on the secretary of state’s list, even though his campaign followed the known protocols. After his announcement last week, Elder became a Republican frontrunner, along with California Assemblyman Kevin Kiley.
According to an AP report:
Ying Ma, an Elder campaign spokeswoman, said she expected him to be on the final list of candidates issued next week. “Our campaign submitted every document required by the Secretary of State and the Los Angeles County Registrar” to qualify for the ballot, she said in a statement.
While it’s unclear in the AP report exactly which requirement the Elder campaign failed to submit, on Twitter Elder mentions the invention of a “new law” and “shenanigans” being used “to block the door of the Governor’s Office and make sure [the Democratic politicians] stay in power” by keeping his name off the ballot:
https://t.co/mnvU6rOkTD#RecallGavinNewsom #WeveGotAStateToSave pic.twitter.com/sSxbDWKUXm
— Larry Elder (@larryelder) July 19, 2021
Elder further reveals that Secretary of State Weber has “invited [him] to sue to protect [his] right to be a candidate”—an invitation Elder apparently plans to accept if his candidacy papers aren’t accepted and his name isn’t included on the final candidate list.
Certainly, these “shenanigans” come as no surprise to those of us who follow politics in the once-golden-state. Newsom has made numerous self-serving changes to our state election laws in the run-up to the recall election and throughout the pandemic. Indeed, some believe Newsom has refused to give up his near-dictatorial COVID-19 emergency powers so that rules requiring mail-in ballots, staying at home, and absentee ballots can be extended for the September recall.
Related: Gavin Newsom Just Pulled Every Corrupt Trick in the Book to Rig the Recall Election in His Favor
Will Newsom and his Democratic cronies succeed in keeping Elder off the ballot? We’ll find out this Wednesday when the final certified candidate list is released by the secretary of state’s office.
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