Caitlyn Jenner is officially running for California governor

Just a few weeks ago, it was reported that Caitlyn Jenner was seriously considering a run to be California’s next governor but the former Olympian has officially filed the paperwork. 

The 71-year-old reality TV personality announced the news on Friday, making her political plans official. “I’m in! California is worth fighting for. Visit CaitlynJenner.com to follow or donate today,” Jenner tweeted, adding the hashtag #RecallNewsom.

Jenner, who is a Republican, is seeking to replace Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in a recall election.

According to Axios, Jenner has assembled a team that includes Tony Fabrizio, who worked on Trump’s 2016 and 2020 campaigns, Ryan Erwin, founder of RedRock Strategies, and Tyler Dealton, president of Allegiance Strategies.

She has also hired Steven Cheung, a former Trump White House and campaign communications hand who worked with Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 2003 recall campaign.

In a press release, Jenner said, “California has been my home for nearly 50 years. I came here because I knew that anyone, regardless of their background or station in life, could turn their dreams into reality."

"But for the past decade, we have seen the glimmer of the Golden State reduced by one-party rule that places politics over progress and special interests over people. Sacramento needs an honest leader with a clear vision.”

“I have been a compassionate disrupter throughout my life from representing the United States and winning a gold medal at the Olympics to helping advance the movement for equality,” she continued.

“As Californians, we face a now-or-never opportunity to fundamentally fix our state before it’s too late. Taking on entrenched Sacramento politicians and the special interests that fund them requires a fighter who isn’t afraid to do what is right. I am a proven winner and the only outsider who can put an end to Gavin Newsom‘s disastrous time as governor.”

Jenner’s statement criticizes California’s taxes for being “too high” and for having an “over-restrictive lockdown” response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"This is Gavin Newsom’s California, where he orders us to stay home but goes out to dinner with his lobbyist friends,” the press release said.

Jenner will meet with Californians from across the state in the next few weeks to “hear their voices and finally get this state moving in the right direction.”

“The significance of this decision is not lost on me. The sacrifice is significant but responsibility is great, and I can’t wait to lead, to help and most importantly to disrupt the status quo once again.”

This isn't Jenner's first time getting involved in politics. She has previously shown her support for Trump in his original run for president, and in a 2020 interview with People, she said she's changed her political thinking in recent years. Jenner said that she no longer sees herself solely as a Republican, but more as an "economically conservative, socially progressive."

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Jenner will not run as a Trump Republican in her run for California governor, but rather as a socially liberal and fiscally conservative candidate.

If this seems like déjà vu, that's because Jenner will be following in the footsteps of Schwarzenegger, who was both an athlete and Hollywood star before becoming California governor in a recall election. 

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