California’s Next Governor: Caitlyn Jenner?

graphic by sam currier

Every once in a while the political landscape gets a bit spiced up with some random celebrity throwing their name into the hat for public office. California Governor Gavin Newsom’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic has sparked an upcoming recall election. Enter… Caitlyn Jenner?

Yes, you read that right. The decorated Olympian and transgender rights activist announced on April 23 that she’ll be running as a Republican in the upcoming election. It’s sort of a thing in California, with Ronald Reagan and Arnold Schwarzenegger making the successful jump from the red carpet to governor in the past.

If it’s been done before, it can happen again, right? Sure, but the odds are against her. The reality show star is running as a Republican in what’s considered one of the bluest states in the country. Most experts believe that Newsom will survive the election just fine, and beyond that, there’s a minimal chance that Jenner will win favorite for the right-wing.

Additionally, while Jenner was celebrated in 2015 for coming out as transgender in a highly followed and publicized development, she’s no longer seen in the same inspirational light she once was. From comments made about same-sex marriage to her initial support for Donald Trump, Jenner has come under fire multiple times over the past few years. 

And no, the LGBTQ+ community isn’t jumping for joy at the prospect of Caitlyn Jenner being the future governor of California. Equality California, an LGBTQ+ advocacy organization, made it clear that they’d love to have transgender representation in such a position of influence. But Caitlyn Jenner? “Hard pass,” the group tweeted.

Jenner throwing her name into the mix for governor is fun to talk about for a couple of weeks, but is it plausible? Probably not. We imagine it’ll be one of those things where we look back 10 years from now and say, “Hey, remember when Caitlyn Jenner ran for governor of California?” to which we’ll respond “No, I was too busy spitting into a tube in the Carrier Dome.” Yep. Those will be the good old days.