Caitlyn Jenner announces she’s running for California governor
Caitlyn Jenner is running for governor of California — and she’s got a team of ex-Trump aides behind her.
The “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” star, a longtime Republican, announced on Friday that she filed initial paperwork to challenge Democratic incumbent Gov. Gavin Newsom in a potential recall election.
“I’m in!” she declared on Twitter, with the banner “Caitlyn for California.”
Jenner, 71, has a team of prominent GOP strategists behind her, Axios reported. They include Tony Fabrizio, a pollster who worked on former President Donald Trump’s 2016 and 2020 campaigns, and Steven Cheung, a former Trump White House aide who was part of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s team during the star’s successful 2003 recall election.
Jenner’s personal friend, Brad Parscale, Trump’s former campaign manager, helped build her team though he doesn’t plan on taking an official role on the campaign.
In a statement, the transgender rights activist slammed Newsom for his “over-restrictive lockdown” during the COVID-19 pandemic and complained that the Golden State’s taxes are “too high.”
“California has been my home for nearly 50 years. I came here because I knew that anyone, regardless of their background or station in life, could turn their dreams into reality.
“But for the past decade, we have seen the glimmer of the Golden State reduced by one-party rule that places politics over progress and special interests over people,” she said. “Sacramento needs an honest leader with a clear vision.”
She added: “This isn’t the California we know. This is Gavin Newsom’s California, where he orders us to stay home but goes out to dinner with his lobbyist friends.”
Jenner’s website went live Friday morning, featuring a slew of campaign goodies for sale, including a pair of stemless “Caitlyn for California” wine glasses for $35 and matching “beverage coolers” for $15.
A campaign adviser told Axios that Jenner, a transgender rights activist and Olympic gold-winning decathlete, has strong name recognition and is “very socially liberal.”
“She’s running as someone that’s socially liberal and fiscally conservative,” the adviser said.
Jenner’s announcement does not mention an affiliated political party.
In an interview with People last June, she reflected on how her views have evolved, saying she identifies as “economically conservative, socially progressive” and believes “we need equality for all, regardless of who’s in the White House.”
“I’ve changed my thinking in a lot of ways,” she told the magazine.
Earlier this month, Axios also reported that Jenner was getting a hand from Caroline Wren, a longtime GOP fundraiser who met the reality TV star through the American Unity Fund, a GOP nonprofit that’s focused on LGBT issues.
Wren’s resume includes a stint with Trump Victory, a joint fundraising committee for Trump’s most recent campaign, and she helped organize the rally that preceded the Jan. 6 Capitol riots.
Jenner said she will formally announce her bid in the coming weeks.
Jenner endorsed Trump in the 2016 election — but yanked her support two years later, admitting she was “wrong.”
Speculation of her candidacy swirled earlier this month as Newsom saw his approval ratings plummet as a result of his heavy-handed handling of the coronavirus crisis.
In November, he was caught flouting his own safety protocols by attending a birthday party at a restaurant.
Asked by The Post about Jenner’s potential run at the time, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki replied: “We certainly would welcome the freedom of any human participating in the democratic process to run for office including of course transgender members of our society.”
Additional reporting by Steven Nelson
