The California September 14 Recall Election has stirred up some Californians because of the controversial frontrunner Larry Elder. Elder, a 69-year-old Black man, who was raised in South Central Los Angeles and has established a career in law—and, later, radio hosting—is running as a Republican to replace current Governor Gavin Newsom. However, is Elder truly fit to be California’s new next governor?

Historically, since 1994, California has been a blue state, and is currently considered one of the “big three” Democratic states. Would Elder be well received by California? In my sole opinion, no. Not quite. Not only is he a Republican, but what he has said about women is strikingly inappropriate and unacceptable. Many, including Newsom, have agreed that he may even be “more extreme than Trump.”

First, to lay the foundation, when asked about his sexual allegations and comments made on women, he refused to respond, claiming that “it’s beneath” him. However, in his radio show episodes in 2011, he in fact did respond to allegations regarding sexual harassment, specifically one where his female employee “accused him of hitting her.” To this, instead of seriously taking on this subject, he had turned it into a joke, defending himself by insinuating that the woman was not even attractive for him to take advantage of. He repeated this again in 2017, when he tweeted that women in the Women’s March were all not attractive enough to be sexually assaulted. Sexual harassment is no joke; it truly isn’t something to turn into a joke, even if it is an allegation. However, Elder approached the sensitive subject in such a light manner, proceeding to justify himself by saying that he holds great respect for women. Having his mother on his show weekly or working with many women in his career does not exactly prove that he does not disrespect women.

Second, Elder denies the claim that he thinks “women are inferior to men.” Unfortunately, his past actions say otherwise. As many would know, PMS (premenstrual syndrome) is something almost 90% of women experience; it also happens to be something that women do not love and cannot control. Despite this fact, Elder has mocked PMS, rewording it to “Punish My Spouse.” Further, he proudly promoted a textbook that was published in the 50s on “how to be a good wife,” with excerpts of the typical female role of a housewife, like cooking dinner. As if that wasn’t enough, Elder compared single mothers who depend on welfare to “stray cats.” He has also revealed that he is strongly leaning towards anti-abortion laws. 

As a female, I cannot say that I would be open to the idea of Elder becoming the new governor of California. As a female, I believe that all women deserve to receive respect. As a female, the possibility of Elder being governor frightens me.