By Kate Michel
On Oct. 7, 2003 Gov. Joseph Graham “Gray” Davis Jr. was recalled and removed from office.
When the time came to reelect a new governor many individuals of all backgrounds added their name to the running. Of the most iconic were Los Angeles Billboard model, Angelyne, adult movie star, Mary Carey and the Terminator himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger.
In November of that same year, with 48.6% of the votes, Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, replaced Democrat Davis.
With the recent announcement that Gov. Gavin Newsom will face a recall election sometime this year, many have added their names to the list of candidates eager to run against him.
A tweet which included a public press release was published April 23 and announced that Caitlyn Jenner, former olympian and trans activist, will be running for California State Governor.
The announcement came as a shock to many who already question Jenner’s actions or lack thereof, as she previously encouraged the LGBTQ+ community to support the Trump administration.
“Make no mistake: we can’t wait to elect a #trans governor of California. But @Caitlyn_Jenner spent years telling the #LGBTQ+ community to trust Donald Trump. We saw how that turned out. Now she wants us to trust her? Hard pass,” said Equality California, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group on Twitter.
In an opinion article written with the Washington Post, Jenner apologized for her actions in supporting a campaign that proved to be so transphobic.
“I believed I could work within the party and the Trump administration to shift the minds of those who needed shifting,” Jenner said. “Sadly, I was wrong. The reality is that the trans community is being relentlessly attacked by the president.”
It was not until 2018 that Jenner withdrew her support for our former President Donald Trump.
If elected, Jenner would be the first transgender governor of California, but the the majority of the LGBTQ+ community does not advocate for her campaign.
In the past, Jenner has faced serious criticism for having “traditional” beliefs on marriage and other topics that concern the rest of the LGBTQ+ community.
We are left to wonder whether this sudden action to run for candidacy is a part of yet another publicity stunt. Jenner is a well known television personality star and stepparent to the famous Kardashian clan.
She is overwhelmingly under-qualified for the position having only voted nearly nine times in her life, according to an article written by Politico.
Jenner remains active on Twitter where she publicly responds to Gov. Newsom and her fans.
“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,” said Jenner in her press release.
Her press release was a well written piece about the need for prosperity and growth in our country. Yet, that was all there was.
When visiting her campaign website, CaitlynJenner.com, you may notice that she has not acknowledged any current issues within our country. There are no proposals, no solutions for our state’s biggest issues.
What you can find on her website, a donation link for her campaign and a link to her online store where you can support her campaign through the purchase of “Caitlyn For California” merchandise.
Nothing about this website makes me want to vote for Caitlyn Jenner.
There are people who spend every waking day trying to fight for what they believe is right in this political climate. Those that want to be the change from within.
Then there are those with familiar names, reality stars, celebrities, who are eager to make a bigger name for themselves.
The truth of the matter is that I am skeptical of every celebrity that decides to run for political office. There are individuals way more qualified for these positions, yet they are running against well-known entertainment stars.
We experienced firsthand the consequences of placing a reality star at the forefront of our country. Whether we want to make the same mistake twice is up to us, and personally, I would rather move forward than back.
