A Conversation with Gavin Newsom's Worst Nightmare—Larry Elder

Summary

The Charlie Kirk Show

Episode: "A Conversation with Gavin Newsom's Worst Nightmare—Larry Elder"

Date: July 15, 2021
Host: Charlie Kirk
Guest: Larry Elder

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Episode Overview

In this flash episode, Charlie Kirk sits down with Larry Elder, renowned radio host and recent entrant into the 2021 California gubernatorial recall race against Governor Gavin Newsom. The conversation centers on Elder’s motivations for running, his critique of Newsom's leadership, California’s most pressing crises, the mechanics of the recall election, the challenges and opportunities for conservatives in California, and broader national implications.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Larry Elder’s Motivation for Running for Governor

• Larry opens up about his initial reluctance to run—describing California as seemingly "ungovernable" due to the heavy Democratic supermajority.
• Over time, personal appeals from respected figures, including Dennis Prager and Pastor Jack Hibbs, led Elder to feel a "moral obligation" to act for the state he was born and raised in, citing his family’s journey and declining opportunities for Californians.

  "I just kind of just threw my hands up. But more and more people I respected, Charlie, began talking to me about this...I began to feel that I almost had a moral obligation..." (03:05)

2. Critique of Gavin Newsom & California Policies

• Elder lists rising crime, homelessness, cost of living, and declining education as direct results of detrimental left-leaning policies in Sacramento.
• Points out “anti-growth” attitudes and COVID-19 restrictions enacted and ignored by Newsom, referencing high-profile incidents like the French Laundry dinner.

  “This is the guy who imposed the most strict coronavirus mandates of all 50 states while ignoring them...dining with the very lobbyists and contributors that made the mandate that they were violating.” (04:35)

• Newsom is accused of hypocrisy—having his own child in private school and exempting his winery from shutdown mandates.
• Elder discusses the uneven economic recovery:

  "Most states, two thirds of the jobs have come back. In California, only half the jobs have come back." (05:54)

• He shares personal stories on the mental health and criminal consequences of prolonged school closures on California youth.

3. Recall Election Mechanics and Timeline

• Elder explains the two-step recall process:
  1. Voters decide whether to remove Newsom (requires 50% + 1).
  2. If so, the top vote-getter among the replacement candidates becomes governor, not needing a majority—just more votes than any other single candidate.

  “You first vote to remove Gavin Newsom. If 50% plus one votes to remove Gavin Newsom, the person that got the highest vote to replace him will be the next governor.” (08:36)

• Ballots are sent out in about a month, with the election culminating on September 14, 2021.
• Kirk and Elder agree on the enthusiasm gap:

  "The enthusiasm is on our side. There's virtually no enthusiasm on their side." (12:59)

4. Field of Candidates and Republican Strategy

• Elder notes a large, unfocused field, with an estimated 50–100 candidates, but asserts his own broad name recognition.
• Kirk urges consolidation around Elder to avoid splitting the non-Newsom vote:

  “Republicans they need to get out of this race, okay? Larry’s the guy. It’s obvious he can speak the language, he has the charisma, he’s an outsider.” (12:02)

5. Race, Identity, and Media Attacks

• Elder jokes about being labeled a "white nationalist" by Newsom’s campaign:

  “He's characterizing the campaign as an effort to oust him by Trump-supporting white nationalists. Charlie, you've known me a long time. Am I a white nationalist? I may be a lot of things, but I ain't a white nationalist.” (06:38)

• Discusses his background as a black Californian, the story of his father's struggle, and connects it to the fading "California Dream."

6. Core Issues in the Recall Race

• Both agree that campaign focus should be on the COVID-19 lockdown controversy, cost of living, homelessness, and crime—rather than arcane policy subjects:

  “You don’t need to run on, like, reforming the California pension system. That stuff…that’s a distraction. You can figure that out once you’re there; you focus on the referendum and the energy around that.” (14:32)

• Elder brings up the French Laundry incident and a $500 million mask deal with China, both as evidence of Newsom's mismanagement.

7. Broader National Stakes

• Elder argues that California is a warning for the rest of the country:

  “...how California goes, the rest of the country goes. And so it's a fight not just for California, but it's a fight for the rest of the country because the rest of the country could very well suffer the same fate.” (17:41)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On deciding to run:

  “I began to feel that I almost had a moral obligation to try and do something about it.” — Larry Elder (03:10)

• On Newsom’s hypocrisy:

  “There he is dining with the very lobbyists and contributors that made the mandate that they were violating.” — Larry Elder (04:45)

• On campaign attacks:

  “He's characterizing the campaign as an effort to oust him by Trump-supporting white nationalists. Charlie, you've known me a long time. Am I a white nationalist? I may be a lot of things, but I ain't a white nationalist.” — Larry Elder (06:38)

• On COVID policy and schools:

  “This would not have happened had Gavin Newsom listened to the science that said in school learning would be okay with certain precautions... He ignored it because he was doing the bidding of the teachers union.” — Larry Elder (05:36)

• On the stakes nationwide:

  “How California goes, the rest of the country goes.” — Larry Elder (17:41)

• On sacrifice:

  “I'm not a rich guy, Charlie. I got a little bit of money. It's all tied up in my house. So I cannot do this without money from other people.” — Larry Elder (18:33)

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Key Timestamps

• [02:02] Why Larry Elder decided to run and California's core problems
• [04:35] Newsom’s COVID policy hypocrisy and effects on real Californians
• [06:38] Elder’s response to being labeled a “white nationalist”
• [08:36] Explanation of the recall election mechanics and timetable
• [12:59] Voter enthusiasm and potential for upset in the recall
• [14:32] Why the lockdowns and personal hypocrisy are top campaign issues
• [16:00] California’s party label issues and why the recall is doable
• [17:41] Recall’s national implications
• [18:33] The personal and financial sacrifices Elder is making to run

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Summary

This episode provides an in-depth look at Larry Elder’s gubernatorial recall campaign, framed as both a grassroots battle for California’s future and a cautionary tale for the nation. Elder sets himself apart as a candid, relatable, and energetic candidate, intent on highlighting Newsom’s failures—especially regarding cost of living, homelessness, education, and pandemic leadership. Kirk and Elder emphasize unprecedented enthusiasm among conservatives and the rare chance to upset California’s political status quo. Elder invites supporters to join via electelder.com, underscoring the uphill but, in his view, achievable battle ahead.

Transcript

[A]

Hey, everybody. This episode is brought to you by my friends at ExpressVPN. ExpressVPN.com Charlie Secure your device. Anonymize your online activity. Protect your action online. Expressvpn.com Charlie help our show out by also helping yourself. Protect yourself. Expressvpn.com Charlie hey everybody. On a flash episode of the Charlie Kirk Show, Larry Elder is running for governor. I'm throwing my support behind him. He is phenomenal. He's a Salem radio host alongside me and Dennis Prager and so many others. Larry Elder is here. If you want to support our program, go to charliekirk.com support. That's charliekirk.com support. Email us your thoughts. Freedom. Charliekirk.com Larry Elder is here. Buckle up, everybody. Here we go. Charlie, what you've done is incredible here. Maybe Charlie Kirk is on the college campus.

[B]

I want you to know we are

[A]

lucky to have Charlie Kirk. Charlie Kirk's running the White House, folks.

[C]

I want to thank Charlie. He's an incredible guy. His spirit, his love of this country. He's done an amazing job building one of the most powerful youth organizations ever created, Turning Point usa.

[A]

We will not embrace the ideas that have destroyed countries, destroyed lives. And we are going to fight for freedom on campuses across the country. That's why we, we are here. Hey, everybody. On this flash episode of the Charlie Kirk Show, I am thrilled to have with us today someone that could do something that a year ago, two years ago, would have been, quite honestly, nearly impossible. With us today is Larry Elder. They call him the sage from South Central la. I think I got that right. Who hosts a show, Salem Radio Network. 6 to 9pm I love the show. Super articulate. But most importantly, he is now running to get rid of Gavin Newsom, which I am thrilled about. Larry, welcome back to the Charlie Kirk Show.

[B]

Charlie, thank you so much for having me. It is an honor.

[A]

So, Larry, I must ask, what on earth compelled you to want to go run in the political environment? You have a wonderful talk show. You get to travel the country, say what's ever on your mind, and now you want to go run for governor and tell us why you're running and tell us at this moment why you think you have a chance to become governor of California.

[B]

Well, Charlie, it was an evolution. Dennis Prager first approached me and asked me to run and my response was, hell no. I thought the state was ungovernable. We have a super majority of Democrats in the Senate, a super majority of Democrats in the assembly, and of course we have a Left wing governor. Crime is going up, homelessness is going up, the cost of living is going crazy. Meanwhile, the quality of urban education is declining and I just kind of just threw my hands up. But more and more people I respected Charlie began talking to me about this, including Pastor Jack Hibbs of the Calgary Church. And I began to feel that I almost had a moral obligation to try and do something about it. I'm born and raised here. My father moved here back in 1945 right after the war and working two full time jobs as a janitor was able to afford a house that right now is worth $600,000. That's wonderful for our family because it's still in the, in the family. But if you try to do what my dad did, you work three jobs, you couldn't do it because the cost of living is insane. Because of the anti growth attitude that has been the case in California for the last 30 or 40 years as to why I think I can win. I'm not a, I'm a well known public figure out here in California. I've been on radio for 30 years. I'm in, I'm on an affiliate in Sacramento. I'm on an affiliate in the Bay Area. I'm on, in Riverside, I'm on in the central part of the state, Louisiana of course, Riverside, San Diego. So people know me. I've been talking about these issues for some 30 years and I think I can explain things in a way that Joe and Joe Six Pack can understand. A lot of times, Charlie, people leave California and they go to places like Texas and Florida and they bring their politics with them because they don't understand the connection between high crime and left wing policies out of Sacramento. They don't get the connection between the high price of housing and, and left wing policies. I can make them understand the reason the state is in the situation that it's in. The reason we have rising homelessness is because of asinine policies that have been pushed by Sacramento for decades and have been pushed by this reckless, arrogant, smug governor for the last two years. This is the guy who imposed the most strict coronavirus mandates of all 50 states while ignoring them. There he is sitting up there in the French Laundry and I found out, Charlie, I never even heard of the French Laundry until he was there. It's one of the most expensive restaurants, not just in California, one of the most exclusive restaurants in the country. And there he is dining with the very lobbyists and contributors that made the mandate that they were violating. They weren't engaging in Social distancing. They weren't wearing masks while telling you to do that, which meant that they weren't really afraid, but they wanted you to be afraid. This is absolutely outrageous. And the man had his own kid continue in school, private education, and he exempted his own business, the winery, from the very mandate that everybody else had to suffer. Under most states, two thirds of the jobs have come back. In California, only half the jobs have come back. And it may be even worse because the bankruptcy courts have yet to open up and operate full time. So it's unclear how much damage he's done. All I know is he's done a great deal of damage. Charlie, in preparing for this campaign, I talked to a lot of people. Just yesterday we shot a bunch of commercials and the makeup lady was telling me about her son. She's a single mom and has a 17 year old kid. One of the top wrestlers in the state of California had been wrestling six days a week. And the wrestling coach, of course, is this father figure. Because he's been locked out. The kid has now gotten depressed, came to his mother, had enough class and integrity to tell his mom he felt suicidal. Charlie, he's now in therapy. I talked to another woman whose brother was a football coach up in Oakland. He's a white guy. Most of the players are black. They don't have fathers. He's their father figure. And they had structure. He begged and pleaded with the school board not to shut down training. They could at least do that outdoors without having to wear some masks. But they said no. And two of the kids got into trouble with the law. One of them committed a crime that's going to put him behind bars for years. This would not have happened had Gavin Newsom listened to the science that said in school learning would be okay with certain precautions. He ignored it because he was doing the bidding of the teachers union. They wanted schools locked down while the teachers still kept earning their full salaries. The man has got to go, Charlie. And my website is electelder.com electelder.com and we can't do it without an army of people contributing 5, 100, $200 because I have campaign finance limits. He does it. He can raise however amount of money he wants and spend however amount of money he wants. The union just put in $5 million on his campaign. And by the way, Charlie, he's characterizing the campaign and as an effort to oust him by Trump. Supporting white nationalists. Charlie, you've known me a long time. Am I a white nationalist? I may be a lot of things, but I ain't a white nationalist.

[A]

That's gonna be an interesting one, Larry. I just wanna say for my audience, as close as whatever an endorsement is, we're behind you, Larry. And I just wanna say that because this whole thing has gotta get disrupted. As you know, my friend Mike Lindell has a passion to help everyone. Get the best sleep of your life. He didn't stop. By simply creating the best pillow, Mike created the new Giza Dream bedsheets. They look and feel great, which means an even better night's sleep for me, which is what's crucial for my busy schedule. Mike found the world's best cotton, called Giza. It's ultra soft and breathable, but extremely durable. Mike's Giza sheets come with a 60 day money back guarantee and a 10 year warranty. The first night you sleep on Giza sheets, you will never want to sleep on anything else. Giza Dream sheets come in a variety of sizes and colors. Mike is making a special offer for my listeners. You receive two for the one low price plus free shipping. Go to mypillow.com and click on the Radio Listener Square and use promo code Kirk. There you'll find not only this amazing offer, but also deep discounts on all MyPillow products, including the MyPillow mattress topper, MyPillow towel sets, and so much more. Call 1-800-875-0425. Use the promo code KIRK. Go to MyPillow.com and make sure you use the promo code Kirk. So I just want to say I love your message and what you're doing, and I just. Jack Kibbs and the whole coalition were behind you. Can you, Larry, then help me understand what is the timeline and then also what is happening with the vote? So there's a remove Gavin vote, right? Like recall yes or no?

[B]

Right.

[A]

And then who do you want? Can you walk through that? Because it's kind of funky.

[B]

Well, it's really kind of simple. There aren't any other initiatives on. The ballots are pretty clean. You first vote to remove Gavin Newsom. If 50% plus one votes to remove Gavin Newsom, the person that got the highest vote to replace him will be the next governor. And that will be certified within 30 days of the election, which is on September 14th. But they're already sending out. They'll be sending out absentee ballots in about a month or so. So this is a real compressed race altogether around 60 days. And the reason that they pushed the date up, Charlie, is because Gavin Newsom is afraid of being recalled and his numbers were inching up a little bit. So he was able to force the election sooner rather than later in hopes that his momentum will carry him to remain in office. But I don't think so. A lot of people are furious. 2.2 million people signed the petition, which means a whole bunch of independents and Democrats who voted for him, wanted him out. And so this is a broad coalition of Californians who are fed up with the crime, fed up with the homelessness, fed up, fed up with the deterioration of the quality of schools, fed up with the mandate that he ignored himself and they want this guy out. And I think I can do something about the homelessness problem, I can do something about the crime problem. And one of the things I will do is not accuse the police of engaging in systemic racism which is causing cops to pull back. Bad guys know it. Crime is going up. When you reduce the chances of a crook being caught, being convicted and being incarcerated, guess what? Crime goes up. This isn't rocket science. This is just common sense, something sadly lacking in Sacramento. We're going to do something about this, Charlie, and I'm urging all of your listeners to go to electelder.com that's electelder.com

[A]

it is electelder.com I'm looking at it right now. It's very simple. It's a clean website. And so Larry, what are you going to do when they call you a racist?

[B]

Well, they've already, they've already done so.

[A]

I know you think you laugh, but it's what they're going to do. Tell us as a, as a black man who grew up in California, is self made and has a wonderful story about your father. By the way, we have a whole podcast on that. It's one of the most moving podcasts we've ever done. It's phenomenal.

[B]

Tell me about my dad. My dad, as I mentioned, was able to, was able to work two full time jobs at a janitor, stay at home, wife, my mother, three boys and was able to buy a house in South Central which at the time was upscale. That house is worth now $600,000 if you work four full time jobs and you would not be able to do what my dad did with his 8th grade education. That California dream is fading, which is why so many young people like you, Charlie are leaving this state and going to places like Tennessee and Florida and Texas. And we've gotta reverse that. For the first time in this nation, in the state's history, there's been a net migration of Californians out of the state. And we're gonna turn that around.

[A]

I love that. And so let's focus on. So I just wanna understand the mechanics of this, Larry, and I truly miss asking for my own sake. So I'm sure some listeners have the same questions. So if the, if the, if Newsom loses the recall question, that it goes to the next. And you need a plurality, not a majority, is that right?

[B]

No. All you need is more votes than the next person. Again, a plurality, a higher plurality than the next person. I don't know what percentage it'll take to actually win. It depends on how many people are there and how the vote is all shaved up. But the bottom line is, once Gavin Newsom is removed, and that takes 50% of plus one vote, the highest number of vote getters to replace him will be the next governor. And that'll be certified within 30 days or so of September 14th. I hope I'm that person, but if I'm not that person, at least this guy will be gone.

[A]

Yeah. And look, the Republicans that need, they need to get out of this race, okay? Larry's the guy. It's obvious he can speak the language, he has the charisma, he's an outsider. That's a different conversation for a different time. So how many, how many people are running? How big is the field? And so you said that the end of voting is the. Is this kind of like this new California like voting quarter thing where you kind of like start voting in August and just kind of last for a month and a half? Is that kind of how it works?

[B]

That's how it works. They will send out the absentee ballots in about a month. You fill those out, and then the election actually takes place on September 14th. But again, is a two step deal. The first step is, do you want this man out? And if 50% plus one wants him out, then you go to who, who's gonna replace him? And whoever got the highest number of votes will replace this guy.

[A]

And so. But then the way I'm looking at it though, Larry, is that this is gonna be a very low turnout election on their side and a very high turnout election on our side. Right?

[B]

That's right. That's right. The enthusiasm is on our side. There's virtually no enthusiasm on their side. And the voter intensity is gonna carry this thing. And as to how many candidates there are, I really don't know. My suspicion is anywhere from 50 to 100. I think the last time when the last governor was recalled, there were 250 people and people walked in, many of them thinking that Arnold Schwarzenegger was going to be their guy. So you have to walk in with an idea who you want not just to get rid of Gavin Newsom, which is step one, but who do you want to replace him? And there are some other people in the race who are policy wonks. They don't have my name recognition. They're not even native Californians. One guy lost a whole bunch of races, including lost by 20 points against Gavin Newsom the last time he's in the race. And you're right, Charlie, some of these guys need to clear out. But the bottom line is this guy has got to go. And people have to be reminded of how insulting these mandates were, violating science. The science said that you could have in school education. The head of the LA Teachers Union, which is the largest affiliate of the California Teachers Union, said the move to have in school learning during the last year was led by white supremacists. Again, a lot of black coaches were out there protesting. A lot of Hispanic coaches were out protesting. Teachers were out protesting. But of course, all Gavin Newsom does is scream, trump, Trump, Trump, Trump. And he thinks that voters are going to be going to be recoiled and therefore are going to assume that somehow Donald Trump, I guess, is going to come floating into California and become the next governor. I'm not quite sure what they think is going to happen, but that's all Gavin Newsom does is yell, trump, Trump. Trump, Trump.

[A]

Yeah, and I think it's really smart, Larry, for you to focus on the virus issue and the lockdown issue. You don't need to run on, like, reforming the California pension system. That stuff, you know, that's a distraction. You can figure that out. Once you're there, you focus on the referendum and the energy around that. And if you ever get bored, Larry, let me tell you, I'm right now looking at the French Laundry website. Maybe Gavin Newsom had oysters and pearls or the chilled brand of wine tomato soup. Or maybe he had the applewood smoked wolf ranch white quail with a side of black truffle and ricotta angla nutty. Don't even know what that is. Or maybe the Snake River Farms colot de boeuf or the charcoal grilled Japanese wagyu. I know one thing I just said. And if the governor has a menu that exotic while he shut down the entire state, that means he's got to go. I think you're right on for focusing on that, Larry.

[B]

Well, they weren't serving burritos Charlie. And I heard that the bill was not just $12,000. I heard it was closer to the $30,000 that taxpayers picked up again with the very lobbyists and the people that were making the mandate rules that they were violating. And don't forget about this big scandal where he, a bunch of lobbyists like days earlier formed some sort of corporation to buy masks made in China. $500,000, $500 million deal. Excuse me. And the masks were substandard and we were able to claw back about half of that amount of money. But this was a business that was set up fly by night by lobbyists connected to Gavin Newsom in order to import face masks that were manufactured in China that were substandard, overpaid for these very face masks. The mayor of LA was able to get face masks for pennies on the dollar compared to what Gavin Newsom was paying. This guy is incompetent or a fool. It doesn't matter. He's got to go.

[A]

I totally agree. So, Larry, anything else you want to mention around your, your run? I know homelessness is also a major issue. I just want to tell people what might have seemed impossible months ago. Here's what Larry has going for him. Number one, Gavin is not listed as a Democrat. And so all of a sudden all party affiliation is not going to be there because the Democrats really mess that up. Number two, not a lot of people are going to show up in record numbers that defend an incumbent governor. That just doesn't happen. The energy, enthusiasm, just like the Trump movement is going to be at least a 10 point bump on the side of recall. So if it's like 50, 50 where it is right now, you very well might have the numbers against him. But then as soon as it gets that other thing, Larry already has name ID way more than the other candidates. So this is one that can happen, everybody. This is one that's right in the kind of doable kind of area. Now, if President Trump comes and does a rally for you, Larry, that could put you over the top. It also could do a lot of negatives. That's a different topic for a different time. And so anything else you want to kind of talk about?

[B]

Maybe kind of one other thing, Charlie. I just want people outside California to understand why this is important for them too. We have a left wing president, or at least a president who's telling him what to do. Left wing. We've got a left wing Congress, a left wing senate in Washington D.C. and out here in California, as you know, Charlie, we have super majorities in the Senate and in the Assembly, Democrats and of course, this left wing governor. And it's rising crime, rising homelessness, rising cost of living and declining quality of schools. This is coming to a theater near you if you don't do something about it. So how California goes, the rest of the country goes. And so it's a fight not just for California, but it's a fight for the rest of the country because the rest of the country could very well suffer the same fate. And if we don't turn California around.

[A]

Well, look, and I just want to say go to as many churches as you can. Go to Pastor Jurgen's church in San Diego. Go to Jack Hibbs Church, obviously in Chino, Rob McCoy out in thousand Oaks, definitely gonna be able to help you with that. People help if you can. Larry's a good man. I've known him for years. We're colleagues at the Salem Radio Network. He's taking a little bit of a hiatus, I guess that's fair to say, right, Larry?

[B]

And a financial hit. And I'm not a rich guy, Charlie. I got a little bit of money. It's all tied up in my house. So I cannot do this without money from other people. We have campaign finance limits. This guy can raise and spend as much money as he wants. So it's going to take an army to defeat this guy. It's going to be an uphill fight, but I think I'm the guy for it. I'm ready to do it. I've become convinced that if not, if not you, who? If not now, when? I'm going to do this, Charlie, and I'm going to win this race.

[A]

Well, Larry, Godspeed. You have a friend here on the Charlie Kirk Show. We're going to be following this race. We do have the midnight shift on krla. Not as good as your time, Larry. We're on at 10 to 12 every day. But we're going to keep on mentioning your race and make sure we could try to get Gavin Newsom's numbers down because like you said once, if that first question says yes, I think you'll be able to get that plurality. I mean, if you get to know and then that next question, anything can happen. And Newsom overplayed his hands. Electelder.com thanks so much, Larry.

[B]

Thanks, Charlie. God bless.

[A]

See you soon. Thanks so much for listening, everybody. Email us your thoughts freedomarliekirk.com and if you want to support our program, go to charliekirk.com support God bless you guys. Speak to you soon. For more on many of these stories and news you can Trust, go to charliekirk.com.