A Guide to Larry Elder, the Right-Wing Extremist Who Could Be the Next Governor of California
After a circus of a summer spent hearing appeals from a motley crew of gubernatorial candidates, Californians will decide on Tuesday whether to recall Gavin Newsom. If they do, the man who replaces him will probably be Larry Elder, a libertarian radio host who rose to the top of a crowded field of small-time Republicans, including a guy who has been touring the state with a live Kodiak bear (we weren’t kidding about the circus).
The problem with the 69-year-old Elder is that he’s no better equipped to run a state of 40 million than the man-bear duo, and more dangerous to California’s future than either of them. Current polling indicates Newsom will prevail, but to have someone as inexperienced, regressive, and bigoted as Elder come this close to assuming control the nation’s most populous state is a terrifying prospect for the people of California — and for the rest of the nation.
How close is this close? Californians will be asked two questions on Tuesday: Should Newsom be recalled and, if so, who should replace him?
Current polling indicated Newsom will prevail, but to have someone as inexperienced, regressive, and bigoted as Elder come this close to assuming control the nation’s most populous state is a terrifying prospect for the people of California — and for the rest of the nation.
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Elder’s rap sheet, which we’ve broken down for you below:
He’s said he wouldn’t have voted for the Civil Rights Act
The self-proclaimed “Sage of South Central,” Elder made a career as a Black man espousing conservatives views in a liberal state. He’s railed against Black Lives Matter. He’s claimed repeatedly that racism doesn’t exists, or at least that it’s not a problem in America. He’s said the idea of voter suppression is a Democratic con job. He’s argued Barack Obama had less to overcome in running for president than did white candidates like Mitt Romney and John McCain, and that police are more inclined to shoot white Americans than Black Americans.
He’s also said that if he were in the Senate in the 1960s, he would have voted against the Civil Rights Act, the landmark anti-discrimination bill passed in 1964. “To the extent that those laws mandate any kind of interference in the private sector, I would have voted against it,” Elder said at a Libertarian convention in 1998.
📣 Leading recall candidate Larry Elder said he would have voted AGAINST the Civil Rights Act of 1964. pic.twitter.com/Ac0d0dOGBj
— Resist Programming 🛰 (@RzstProgramming) September 11, 2021
Elder’s speech didn’t end there. He transitioned from bashing the Civil Rights Act into bashing the Americans With Disabilities Act, saying he was “upset” that it exists. In August, Media Matters pointed out several other instances in which Elder has criticizes the law that prevents employers from discriminating against qualified individuals with disabilities. Elder has called the ADA “hideous,” said it creates “dependency” that impinges upon “our freedoms,” and says he felt “double-crossed” when George H.W. Bush signed it.
His record on women’s rights … isn’t great
In a 1996 ad promoting his radio show, Elder says this about women: “Glass ceiling? Ha! What glass ceiling? Women, women exaggerate the problem of sexism.” Not great, which is why a hand proceeds to slap him across the face in the ad, which was uncovered by CNN. He then says that Black people “exaggerate the significance of racism” and that “Medicare should be abolished,” with each line eliciting a new slap. “What’d I say?” he says at the end of the ad, a grin on his face.
Elder wasn’t joking about his lack of respect for women. He argued in a 2000 piece for Capitalism Magazine that “women know less than men about political issues, economics, and current events,” citing the results of a questionnaire. Elder went on to argue that the Democratic Party was hindered by its fidelity to “SHE issues” like Social Security, health care, and education, and that those pushing these issues — namely women, with Elder citing how Bill Clinton lost the male vote in 1992 and 1996 — were “ill-informed.”
Media Matters also pointed out that in his 2002 book, Elder railed against the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Family and Medical Leave Act, positing that employers should be able to discriminate against women based on pregnancy.
KEY ISSUES
Here’s a brief rundown on where he stands:
- Covid-19: It’s not shocking that, as a libertarian, Elder would be opposed to vaccine and mask mandates. As governor, he would abolish them before he has his “first cup of tea,” he’s said. He’s also pushed his share of vaccine misinformation, claiming that the science isn’t “settled” on whether young people should get the vaccine or wear masks in school. (The CDC, FDA, and American Academy of Pediatrics have all recommended the vaccine for young people.)
- The climate crisis: Elder has said he’s “not sure” climate change is to blame for the wildfires torching California at a historic rate. For him, this counts as progress. In 2008, he called climate change a “crock.”
- Minimum wage: Not only does Elder opposed an increase to the minimum wage, he opposes the very idea of a minimum wage. “The ideal minimum wage is $0.00,” he told the McClatchy editorial board.
- Gun control: No way. He’s a libertarian, remember?
- Abortion: Again, he’s a libertarian, so he support a woman’s right to choo— Wait, what’s that? OK, sorry. Elder very much opposes a woman’s right to choose. He’s also said that sex education “has no role in school.”
- Health care: Elder has for years opposed anything resembling medical welfare. “Grandfather everyone currently on Medicaid, and then admit no more people and end the program at the federal level,” he wrote in 2010. “Charity is not allowed by the Constitution, and it should be left to the states — even better, left to the private and nonprofit sectors.”
- Immigration: Elder has advocated denying education and emergency care to undocumented immigrants
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