Former Olympian and reality star Caitlyn Jenner announced Friday she will launch a bid to oust Gov. Gavin Newsom via the impending ecall.
The former “Keeping Up with The Kardashians” star launched a campaign committee and website to begin raising funds via social media.
“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,” Jenner said in a press statement. “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. Sacramento needs an honest leader with a clear vision.”
Jenner, born William Bruce Jenner, rose to public notoriety first as an Olympic Decathlete. In the 1976 games in Montreal, Jenner captured the Gold Medal in the event.
A marriage to Kris Jenner and a pair of reality television shows on the E! Network propelled Jenner further into the public spotlight decades after Olympic glory.
Amid the height of Kardashian mania in the mid-2010s, Jenner transitioned into a female.
Jenner, in her first statement as a candidate, didn’t shy away from directly confronting the ultimate recall target: Newsom.
“This isn’t the California we know,” Jenner said. “This is Gavin Newsom’s California, where he orders us to stay home but goes out to dinner with his lobbyist friends.”
Jenner, a Republican, was a prominent Hollywood voice backing former President Donald Trump during his first run for President in 2016. However, she backed off that support during his time in office over disagreements related to transgender policies undertaken by the Trump administration.
In her announcement, Jenner said a formal announcement of her candidacy and a tour of the state were on tap.
