SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) — Caitlyn Jenner said she will “decide soon” whether she will run for California governor.
On Sunday, the former reality TV star and decorated Olympic athlete responded to tweets regarding her political ambitions.
Inside California Politics covered Jenner’s stance and her alleged fundraising contracts for the potential campaign run.
Axios reported that Jenner was coordinating with longtime GOP fund raiser Caroline Wren, who previously worked for a joint fundraising committee for former President Donald Trump’s 2020 campaign.
But Jenner said the news wasn’t true.
“#FakeNews show me the contracts,” she responded.
Jenner added that California isn’t ready for an “LGBT conservative and socially liberal” candidate.
“I am with Californians and will decide soon,” she wrote. “I have been here for 45+ years and love CA.”
Although Jenner hasn’t officially confirmed her run for governor, the 71-year-old has considered running for public office before.
The news of Jenner’s possible political plans comes as the efforts to recall Gavin Newsom continue to grow. A number of other candidates have already thrown their hats into the ring if there is a recall election. Inside California Politics has confirmed businessman John Cox, former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, former Congressman Doug Ose and porn star Mary Carey have all announced their intentions to run in a recall campaign.
A poll in early March released by Inside California Politics’ six California Television Stations, along with Emerson College, found Californians are split when it comes to Governor Gavin Newsom’s performance and he has his work cut out for him if he is to hold onto his office for another term.
The exclusive new statewide poll of more than 1,000 registered voters, which has a margin of error of +/- 3%, shows Californians support keeping Governor Newsom if the recall campaign against him succeeds in forcing an election.
More than 50% of voters must say yes they want the governor recalled. Our poll shows he is well below that number at the moment.
There is currently an effort to recall Governor Newsom. Would you vote to recall, or to keep Governor Newsom?
- Vote to Recall: 38%
- Vote to Keep: 42%
- Undecided: 13.9%
- Would not Vote: 6.1%
Despite that, a majority of Californians believe a change in the governor is needed in 2022 when Newsom is up for re-election.
Regardless of the recall effort, would you vote to re-elect Governor Newsom in 2022, or do you think it is time for someone new?
- Re-elect Governor Newsom: 41.7%
- Time for Someone New: 58.3%
The poll found respondents were nearly evenly split if they approved of Newsom’s job as governor: 41.8% said they approved, 40.3% said they disapprove and 17.9% were unsure or had no opinion.
Californians are also divided on how the governor has handled the year-long pandemic:
Do you approve or disapprove of the job Gavin Newsom has done on managing the COVID-19 pandemic in California?
- Approve: 45.4%
- Disapprove: 43.7%
- Unsure/No Opinion: 10.9%
Organizers of the recall campaign say they have collected more than 2 million signatures, well above the 1.5 million needed. The signatures still need to be verified, and that process should be completed by the end of April.
However, we may not know the final tally of signatures until early July. And if there is a recall election, it will likely happen in November.
Right now, a slim majority of Californians say they will vote to keep Newsom in office if a recall election does take place, but a significant portion of voters remain undecided.
