State of CaliforniaCandidate for GovernorNewsom Replacement

Larry Elder—the Sage from South Central—is a nationally syndicated radio host and newspaper columnist, bestselling author, award-winning documentary filmmaker, and one of the best-known media figures in America today. His flagship daily radio program, “The Larry Elder Show,” is heard every weekday in all 50 states, on more than 300 stations.

Elder’s unique style, personal background, and professional experience combine to inspire, inform, and persuade his listeners, readers, and viewers to embrace the timeless American principles of personal responsibility and public accountability. “The question is not which party has my back, but which party can get government off our backs—so that we might all realize our God-given capabilities,” says Elder.

Elder was born and raised in South Central Los Angeles—and his family’s story represents every bit of the American Dream. His father was born in Athens, Georgia, served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II, and moved to California and opened his own restaurant—Elder’s Snack Bar. Elder’s mother, originally from Huntsville, Alabama, was a clerical worker for the U.S. Department of War (now the U.S. Department of Defense) and raised three boys as a stay-at-home mom.

Elder has a B.A. in Political Science from Brown University, and a J.D. from the University of Michigan School of Law.

Elder says: “I’m running for governor because the decline of California isn’t the fault of its people. Our government is what’s ruining the Golden State. Our schools are closed to both students and their parents. Our streets aren’t safe from rising violent crime or the disaster of rising homelessness. And the scandals of Sacramento aren’t going to stop on their own. It’s time to tell the truth. We’ve got a state to save.”

What’s happening to our California? To my WWII Marine dad, an 8th grade dropout, California was truly the Golden State. He arrived after the War and worked two full time janitorial jobs. California’s then healthy economy enabled him to buy a home and, with my stay-at-home mom, raise three boys. That home is now worth $600,000, a nightmare for any young family struggling with today’s cost of living, and striving to follow my dad’s upward path. Stopping California’s war on the middle class demands reducing the regulations driving up housing costs and sending jobs to other states. Los Angeles public schools empowered me to an Ivy League university and then law school. Today, very few of the students attending my former inner city high school are proficient at math. As Governor, I will expand charter schools and crusade for school choice, igniting competition to deliver excellence in K–12 education. It can be done! How can California have record budgets and tax hikes . . . and yet pervasive homelessness? I pledge to overhaul our budgetary process, repeal the latest gas tax hike, and work with faith and nonprofit organizations to lift up our homeless brothers and sisters. I also will support true criminal justice reform, while opposing no-bail for repeat offenders and wholeheartedly backing police and prosecutors in the fight to end California’s crime wave. I’m not an elitist power hungry politician. I’m humbled to ask for your vote. I am an optimist. Let’s make California golden again!