Caitlyn Jenner Files Paperwork for Major Political Office

Caitlyn Jenner is hoping to add a new title to her already impressive resume: Governor of California. After teasing earlier this year that she could be entering the political arena, the reality TV star and Olympic hero has officially filed paperwork to run for governor of California, with Jenner officially announcing her bid in a Friday morning tweet, declaring, “I’m in! California is worth fighting for.”

According to the letter accompanying the tweet, the 71-year-old longtime Republican filed the paperwork Friday in her bid to oust current Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in a likely recall election later this year. Announcing her political big, Jenner noted, “California has been my home for nearly 50 years,” adding that she moved to the state “because I knew that anyone, regardless of their background or station in life, could turn their dreams into reality.” However, Jenner said, “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.” She declared that “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.”

According to Axios, Jenner has “assembled a team of prominent GOP operatives” that includes Tony Fabrizio, the top pollster on Donald Trump’s 2016 and 2020 campaigns, Ryan Erwin, founder of RedRock Strategies, and Tyler Deaton, president of Allegiance Strategies, and has also hired Steven Cheung, a former Trump White House and campaign communications hand who worked on Arnold Schwarzenegger’s successful 2003 recall campaign. One of Jenner’s campaign advisers further told the outlet that Jenner command the kind of earned media that “will go to every possible demographic you could think of” and is “very socially liberal… She’s running as someone that’s socially liberal and fiscally conservative.”

In her Friday morning announcement, Jenner said she plans to “meet with Californians from across the state” in the coming weeks “to hear their voices and finally get this state moving in the right direction.” She added that “the significance” of her decision to run for governor “isn’t lost on me” and “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.” She promised “a formal announcement to follow in the coming weeks.” Jenner’s campaign website has since gone live.