On August 13, 2021, long time conservative talk radio host and current California gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder vowed to repeal vaccine mandates if he ends up replacing current Governor Gavin Newsom.
According to Zachary Stieber of The Epoch Times, Elder “saw the possibility of fresh mandates being issued by Newsom and other officials in California”, which has prompted him to take a more freedom-oriented stance on the mask issue.
Elder declared during a press conference:
If I become governor, when I become governor, assuming there are mandates for masks and statewide mandates for vaccines, they will be suspended right away. This is America. We have freedom in America. Virtually anyone in California who wants to be vaccinated can do so.
Newsom is currently facing a recall election. California voters will be heading to the polls on September 14, where they will have the ability to recall Newsom. Should voters recall Newsom by voting “Yes”, they’ll then select Newsom’s replacement.
In various polls, Elder is at the top of the pack in terms of GOP candidates running for governor.
The current recall against Newsom is largely a referenda on his controversial handling of the Wuhan virus pandemic. California’s lockdown policies have been particularly brutal. To add insult to injury, in November 2020 Newsom was caught not wearing a mask during the birthday dinner of a lobbyist at the French Laundry restaurant.
Lately, a major point of contention has been Newsom’s vaccine policies. In recent weeks, Newsom instructed teachers and other school workers to receive a Wuhan virus vaccine or subject themselves to regular Wuhan virus tests. This came a few weeks after he issued a similar order that applied to health care and state workers.
Elder isn’t anti-vaccine per se. He even concedes that they work and has received a shot himself. However, he stressed that the decision to vaccinate is an individual’s choice. This is in line with his well-rooted liberty conservative philosophy that emphasizes personal freedom and skepticism of excessive corporate and state power.
Larry Elder, also known as The Sage of South Central, has been a consistent advocate of basic human freedoms since he started his career in political commentary in the late 1980s. California is likely a lost cause for conservatives, but Elder is without a doubt the best candidate in this race. Any liberty conservative living in California should vote for Elder without hesitation.
