Larry Elder gears up for 2024 White House run: ‘Deeply planning’
Gabe Kaminsky
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EXCLUSIVE — Larry Elder is “likely” going to announce his 2024 presidential bid later this month, the conservative talk radio host and former Republican California gubernatorial candidate told the Washington Examiner.
“Deeply planning,” he said. “Will likely make it official near the end of this month. Last week of April.” He added that the announcement would be made on Fox News host Tucker Carlson’s show.
LARRY ELDER CONSIDERING 2024 WHITE HOUSE RUN, SAYS IT WOULDN’T BE TO ‘DERAIL’ ANYONE
Elder’s latest remarks in connection to a White House run come one day after the Daily Caller quoted Tom Tradup, vice president of SALEM Radio Network and a friend of Elder’s, who said an announcement would “likely” be made “soon.”
The radio host, who garnered over 3.5 million votes during the unsuccessful 2021 election to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), said in January that he had already traveled to New Hampshire and Iowa and met with donors.
“I am really strongly giving it consideration,” Elder told Megyn Kelly on SiriusXM’s The Megyn Kelly Show in January. “It isn’t because I want to derail Trump or DeSantis or anybody else who decides to run.”
Elder would join an increasingly growing field of Republican candidates, which so far includes former President Donald Trump, ex-United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, former Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R-AR), as well as entrepreneur and author Vivek Ramaswamy. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) has long been expected to throw his hat in the ring and has polled as relatively competitive with Trump, while former Vice President Mike Pence continues to mull a bid.
Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) announced a 2024 presidential exploratory committee on Wednesday.
“Larry Elder is welcome to battle for second place with Asa Hutchinson, Nikki Haley, Tim Scott, and Ron DeSantis,” a senior Trump camp operative told the Washington Examiner. “He has as good a shot as everyone else not named Trump. Trump is over 50% in the RCP average.”
The RealClearPolitics 2024 Republican presidential nomination polling average shows Trump with 51.4%, DeSantis at 24.7%, Pence at 4.9%, and Haley garnering 3.9%. Meanwhile, Ramaswamy is polling at 0.9% and Scott at 0.8%.
One experienced Republican political consultant, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly, thinks it’s obvious Elder “has no shot” to get into the White House.
“It’s unfortunate that so many people now think running for president is part of a business or publicity plan,” said the consultant. “He’s only doing this for the attention and for something to do.”
“His race in California shows he can raise money, but it’s too easy with campaigns so online,” they added. “He’s not even in the top 10 of people that could win. This is not even discounting the traditional bulls*** from 2016 where businessmen with no political experience couldn’t win. He’s like an outsider.”
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Elder reported impressive fundraising numbers during his gubernatorial bid, pulling in $4.5 million only 19 days after declaring his candidacy in July 2021, state filings show. His hybrid federal political action committee, Elder for America, has hauled in almost $12 million between January 2022 and December 2022, according to Federal Election Commission records.
The largest donation to the PAC was $1 million in January from Larry Elder for Governor 2021, followed by $10,000 from Laura Perkins, a Texas attorney, records show. President Fred Mueller of Mueller Metals, a Texas steel distributor, has given $40,000 to Elder’s PAC.