Larry Elder says he was running against 'the left-wing media,' not Gavin Newsom


Republican California recall candidate Larry Elder conceded on Tuesday night, telling his supporters, "Let's be gracious in defeat. By the way, we may have lost the battle, but we are going to win the war."
Elder was one of the 46 candidates on the recall ballot; if Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) had been ousted from office, the candidate with the most votes would have replaced him. Earlier in the week, Elder dodged questions about whether he would accept the results, and sponsored a website that claimed he lost the election before it even took place.
Washington Post reporter Dave Weigel tweeted from Elder's Election Night party, and said the conservative talk show host was "giving highlights from his stump speech," including touting his focus on school choice. "This speech sounds a little like a 2022 opening act," Weigel added, noting that Elder recently told CBS News' Major Garrett that he wants to stay in politics.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
During his remarks, Elder declared that he "wasn't running against Gavin Newsom, I was running against the left-wing media ... and we still scared the bejesus out of them." He also denied that "systemic racism" is a problem, brought up former President Barack Obama, saying he has embraced "this bogus Black Lives Matter movement," and stated that his own "movement is about bringing people together and dealing with the problems we have."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Political violence: The rise in leftist terrorism
Feature A new study finds that, for the first time in decades, attacks by far-left extremists have surpassed far-right violence in the U.S.
-
The GOP: Merging flag and cross
Feature Donald Trump has launched a task force to pursue “anti-Christian policies”
-
October 7 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Tuesday’s political cartoons include Chicago in trouble, RFK Jr's medical advice, and more
-
Judge bars Trump’s National Guard moves in Oregon
Speed Read In an emergency hearing, a federal judge blocked President Donald Trump from sending National Guard troops into Portland
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denial
Speed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartels
speed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feud
Speed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protesters
Speed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’
Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US
-
US government shuts down amid health care standoff
Speed Read Democrats said they won’t vote for a deal that doesn’t renew Affordable Care Act health care subsidies
-
YouTube to pay Trump $22M over Jan. 6 expulsion
Speed Read The president accused the company of censorship following the suspension of accounts post-Capitol riot