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.

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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."