Alexandra Datig, the former fiancée of conservative radio talk show host and California Republican gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder, told Politico that she ended their relationship in 2015 after he waved a gun at her while high on marijuana.
Datig, who signed a non-disclosure agreement when she broke up with Elder, said she decided to come forward to share her story because "the state of California is on the line," and if voters decide to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) in September and replace him with Elder, it will be "a disaster."
Datig, 51, said she met Elder, 69, at a Playboy Mansion party in the early 2000s, but they didn't start dating until several years later. During their relationship, she said, Elder pressured her to get a tattoo that said "Larry's Girl," which Datig, a victim of sex trafficking, says she now believes was his way of branding her. He would often become threatening toward her, Datig alleged, and during a 2015 incident in their home, she feared for her life.
Elder regularly used marijuana, Datig said, and was high during the episode. She told Politico he pulled a .45 pistol out of a nightstand in their bedroom and "checked if it was loaded while I was talking. He wanted to make sure I saw that he had it." Datig said she briefly "thought it was a Phil Spector moment," referring to the music producer who fatally shot actress Lana Clarkson at his home in 2003. "My fear was great, and I understood I needed to de-escalate." Datig told Politico she was raised to know that you "never use a gun in anger, and you don't use it when you're drunk or you're high to make a point in frustration — which is what he did."
Datig, who produced more than 100 episodes of Elder's talk show and created his blog The Elder Statement, runs a conservative political website, and has endorsed Kevin Faulconer, a former mayor of San Diego, in the recall election. Both Datig and Faulconer told Politico she is not working for him, and Datig was adamant that she isn't being paid by anyone. "I am doing this because I care about California," she said. "It's about ability and capacity — and I don't think Larry has the ability or capacity." Elder told the Los Angeles Times in a statement he never "brandished a gun at anyone."