cali recall front-runner republican larry elder refutes allegations of sexism and says he'll join florida and texas in banning vaccine mandates and covid passports
The California GOP front-runner for governor refuted repeated claims of sexism during a new CNN interview on Tuesday as the candidate's hopes rise of defeating incumbent Gavin Newsom in September.
During the interview, Larry Elder vowed to join Texas and Florida to halt any mask, vaccine mandates and COVID-19 passports, saying the science does not back up claims that the mandates would help curb the spread of COVID-19.
When CNN's Joe Johns asked Larry Elder about his previous claims that 'women exaggerate the problem of sexism,' and that they 'know less than men,' Elder said he was not disrespecting women.
'I have a great deal of respect for women. My mom was a woman,' Elder said.
'When I'm on the campaign trail, and I meet a lot of women, nobody says to me, 'I'm concerned about what you're going to do about women.''
Elder criticized CNN's coverage of his campaign, saying no one else asks him about his previous derogatory remarks against women and African-Americans
During his campaign, Elder has received repeated criticism for his decades of comments undermining racism and sexism in America, saying African-Americans and women 'complain too much.'
Alexandra Datig, right, accused her ex-fiancée of brandishing a gun at her during an argument in 2015. She said she came out with the story over concerns that Elder was a frontrunner
Elder was also scrutinized earlier this month when his ex-fiancé, Alexandra Datig, accused him of emotional abuse and being high and brandishing a gun at her during a heated argument in 2015.
Datig, 51, of Los Angeles, said she worked on Elder's show and they lived together during their 18-month romantic relationship from 2013 to 2015.
A letter and other records provided by Datig to The Associated Press - including an April 6, 2015, email in which she wrote about the collapse of their engagement - allegedly sketch a portrait of an emotionally abusive relationship in which Elder routinely was using medicinal marijuana to excess.
Elder has denied the claims, referring to them as 'salacious allegations.'
Datig said she waited until now to come forward because she initially didn't think he would be competitive.
'I didn´t take it seriously but when Larry started to trend and become the frontrunner, I became extremely concerned,' she said.
The claims came amid criticism over Elder's books, like The Double Standard and Showdown: Confronting Bias, Lies and the Special Interests That Divide America.
Larry Elder (pictured on August 24), a Republican, currently leads the race of candidates looking to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom with with 22.6 per cent of residents saying they will vote for him
In the recent interview with CNN, Elder said he did not think it was necessary for young people to get vaccinated against COVID-19 nor did he believe children should wear masks in school, policies that have been touted in Florida and Texas.
'I think the science is all over the place about young people,' Elder told CNN.
California has seen 23,387 new cases on Wednesday, and reported 143 deaths, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported.
About 80 per cent of eligible Californian's have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, the Los Angeles Times reported.
By mid-August, more than 21,000 new cases were being reported in Florida per day, compared with about 8,500 a month earlier.
Texas has reported more than 17,00 new cases per day, with about 320 new deaths recorded.
Among those being hit the hardest by the delta variant are adults ages 30 to 39, and children under 18.
About 52 per cent of Florida's population is fully vaccinated, and in Texas, about 47 per cent are fully vaccinated.
Elder added that he had no plans to punish school district's that implement local mask mandates, moving out of step with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis who cut funding to school districts that required students to wear masks.
Elder said he is 'not anti-vax,' but said he would not require state workers to get vaccinated or get regularly tested for COVID.
Elder disputed the fact that young people were dying of the virus, despite the CDC reporting that at least 496 children under the age of 18 have died of COVID-19 in the U.S., and more than 3,000 between the ages of 18 and 29 have died.
Despite the backlash, Elder continues to be a favorite among voters recalling Gov. Newsom
In his books, Elder has questioned the need for maternity leave, suggesting that women who choose to have children are not 'dedicated' to their jobs and unable to fully commit to their careers.
He has also made fun of premenstrual syndrome, PMS, saying it actually stood for 'Punish My Spouse.,' CNN reported.
He also made disparaging comments about the participants of the 2017 Women's March, calling them 'too unattractive to be sexually assaulted, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The black conservative was also criticized for his comments against African Americans in his books and radio talk show, which began in the early 1990s and brushed aside conversations of police brutality during the Rodney King riots, NBC reported.
Larry Elder has received repeated criticism against him for what he's said and written about women and African-Americans in the past. Pictured, three books that have been scrutinized
Polls show that Elder continues to lead among the gubernatorial hopefuls, with about 22.6 per cent of voters choosing him to replace Newsom, according to a FiveThirtyEight poll.
Newsom faces a close battle as 51.1 percent of voters think he should stay as governor, with 45.3 percent wanting to recall him.
If Newsom is recalled on Sept. 14, the rival candidate with the most votes would become the new governor.
This is the second recall election in California's history. The first instance happened in 2003, when Gray Davis was sent packing just months into his second term with 55 percent of Californians voting to oust the Democrat. Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger won 48 percent of those who voted to recall to ascend to the office.