Larry Elder facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Larry Elder
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Elder in 2023
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Laurence Allen Elder
April 27, 1952 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Education | Brown University (BA) University of Michigan (JD) |
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| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Unnamed (div. 1994) |
Laurence Allen Elder (born April 27, 1952) is an American political commentator and radio host. He is known for sharing his conservative views on many topics. He hosts The Larry Elder Show, which is based in California. This show started on a local radio station in Los Angeles in 1993. Later, it was broadcast across the country.
Elder is a former attorney and has written several books. He also writes a column that appears in many newspapers. Some of his books include As Goes California: My Mission to Rescue the Golden State and Save the Nation.
In 2021, Elder ran for public office for the first time. He was a Republican candidate in an election to recall (remove) California's governor, Gavin Newsom. The effort to recall the governor was not successful. However, Elder received the most votes among the candidates who wanted to replace the governor. In April 2023, Elder announced he would run for president in the 2024 election. He later ended his campaign in October 2023.
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Early Life and Education
Laurence Allen Elder was born in Los Angeles, California. He grew up in the Pico-Union and South Central areas of the city. He was the middle child of three brothers. His father, Randolph, was a sergeant in the United States Marine Corps during World War II. After the war, his father moved to California from Georgia. He later opened a cafe in Pico-Union around 1962. Elder's mother, Viola, was a clerical worker during World War II. His father was a Republican, and his mother was a Democrat.
Elder was an honors student at Fairfax High School. He graduated from Crenshaw High School in 1970. He then earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Brown University in 1974. In 1977, he earned a law degree (Juris Doctor) from University of Michigan Law School.
Political Activities
Larry Elder has been involved in politics for many years.
2021 California Governor Recall Election
In July 2021, Elder announced he would run to replace Governor Gavin Newsom in the California recall election. A recall election is a special election where voters decide if they want to remove an elected official from office before their term ends. If the official is recalled, voters also choose a replacement.
The California Secretary of State initially did not include Elder's name on the ballot. This was because of rules about submitting tax information. Elder sued, saying his paperwork was correct. A court then ordered that his name be put on the ballot.
Elder was seen as a leading candidate among those who wanted to replace the governor. He chose not to take part in debates with other Republican candidates. Former California Governor Pete Wilson was one of his campaign advisors.
Before the election results were known, Elder's campaign website suggested there might be "shenanigans" or problems with the voting. On election night, Governor Newsom won and was not recalled. Elder told his supporters to accept the defeat. He said, "we may have lost the battle, but we are going to win the war."
In January 2022, Elder announced he would not run against Newsom in the 2022 California governor election. Instead, he decided to focus on a new political group to help Republicans win seats in the U.S. House and Senate.
2024 Presidential Election
| Larry Elder | |
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| Candidate | Larry Elder |
| Affiliation | Republican Party |
| Status | Announced: April 20, 2023 Suspended: October 26, 2023 |
| Headquarters | Costa Mesa, California |
| Slogan | We've Got A Country To Save |
In April 2023, Elder officially announced he was running for president of the United States in the 2024 election. He said he felt it was his duty to give back to the country. Elder stated that he believed "America is in decline" but that this "decline is not inevitable." He said a new "American Golden Age" was possible with the right leader.
Elder appeared on various news shows and podcasts to share his ideas. He made addressing crime a main part of his campaign. He criticized officials who he felt were not doing enough to protect people. He also highlighted crime rates in cities like Chicago.
Elder criticized the rules for the Republican presidential debates. He said the requirements for candidates to get enough donors were "artificial and arbitrary." He also filed a complaint, saying he was unfairly left out of the first debate.
Elder blamed President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for issues at the U.S.-Mexico border. On October 26, 2023, Elder ended his campaign for president. He then supported Donald Trump.
Political Views
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Larry Elder holds conservative and right-wing political views. He is a registered Republican. He has said he voted for the Republican candidate in every presidential election since 1980. Elder calls himself a "small-l libertarian." This means he believes in less government involvement in people's lives.
He is a strong supporter of former President Donald Trump. Elder has often praised Trump on social media. He supported Trump's 2016 presidential campaign early on. After Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election, Elder said he did not believe Biden won fairly. Elder has also argued that Trump should not be blamed for the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.
Elder has ties to The Epoch Times, a newspaper that is considered far-right.
Economic Issues
In his 2000 book, The Ten Things You Can't Say In America, Elder suggested ways to "save America." He proposed getting rid of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). He also suggested creating a national sales tax and greatly reducing the size of government. He believes in ending welfare programs and getting rid of the minimum wage.
Elder is against minimum wage laws. He argues that "The ideal minimum wage is $0.00." He also opposes universal basic income. Elder has criticized public-sector labor unions, especially the California Teachers Association. He has suggested that thousands of teachers in California should be fired. He later said he supports more charter schools and private schools.
Views on Women
Elder has faced criticism for some of his past statements about women. He has said that "Women know less than men about political issues, economics, and current events." He has also made comments about women who participated in the 2017 Women's March.
Elder has often said that a gender wage gap (difference in pay between men and women) does not exist. He believes that employers should be allowed to consider if women plan to have children when making hiring decisions. In his 2002 book, he wrote that women who choose to have children are not as "dedicated" to their jobs. He repeated these views in 2021 when he ran for governor.
Social Issues
Elder has made comments that are seen as against LGBT rights. He has used male pronouns when talking about transgender women.
In 2021, Elder said that California has a "soft-on-crime ethos." He is against a California law that stopped police from using certain chokeholds. He also opposes 2014 California Proposition 47. This law changed many lower-level property crimes from serious crimes to less serious ones. Elder said that if he were governor, he would try to repeal this law.
Science, Environment, and COVID-19
During his media career, Elder has shared views on scientific topics that are different from what most scientists believe. These topics include secondhand tobacco smoke, climate change, and COVID-19 treatments.
In a 2000 book, Elder suggested that the health risks of secondhand tobacco smoke were exaggerated. This goes against what most scientists agree on. Elder's website once called climate change a "myth." In 2008, he called climate change a "crock." In 2021, he said the climate is warming, but he did not agree that human activity is the main cause.
In 2021, Elder promised to remove statewide public health rules in California. These rules included COVID-19 vaccine requirements and face mask rules for state workers. Elder encouraged older people and those at high risk to get vaccinated. However, he said that "young people" do not need to be vaccinated.
Elder has suggested pausing or removing parts of the California Environmental Quality Act. He believes this would help speed up the building of new homes.
Race Relations
Elder does not believe in systemic racism. He calls it a lie. He is a critic of the Black Lives Matter movement. He blames it for an increase in crime. He has said that welfare programs have been more harmful to Black families than slavery. He supports school choice as a way to help Black children perform better in school.
Personal Life
Larry Elder was married for two years to a doctor. They divorced in 1994 because she wanted to have children, and he did not. He later dated Patricia Stewart for many years, and they remain friends. Elder was also engaged to Alexandra Datig from 2013 to 2015.
Filmography
- Redefining Racism: Fresh Voices from Black America
- Title IX And Women In Sports: What's Wrong With This Picture? Whidbey Island Films
- For Goodness Sake II (1996)
- Michael & Me (2005)
- Uncle Tom (2020)
See Also
- Black conservatism in the United States
- History of African Americans in Los Angeles
- Libertarian conservatism
- List of African-American Republicans
