A California professor campaigning for Gov. Gavin Newsom reportedly called Republican gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder "a Black face on White supremacy" during an event with the governor Monday.
Newsom appeared at a get out the vote event with Black elected leaders in Crenshaw ahead of the Sept. 14 recall election, in which Californians will decide whether to recall the governor or keep him in office. Voters who choose "yes" to recall will also be able to pick one of 46 candidates to replace the governor.
LARRY ELDER COULD MAKE HISTORY AS CALIFORNIA'S FIRST BLACK GOVERNOR
Elder, a conservative radio host, is the clear front-runner among the candidates and could make history as California’s first Black governor. But according to LAist reporter Kyle Stokes, speakers at Monday’s rally tried to paint him as a racist.
Without mentioning Elder by name, state Sen. Sydney Kamlager said there's a recall challenger who "thinks he might have an edge because of his color. But racism … comes in all shapes and sizes, and we’re not stupid," Stokes reported.
Melina Abdullah, a professor at California State University, Los Angeles, followed up by saying, "She didn’t say his name, but I will: Larry Elder is a Black face on White supremacy," Stokes reported.
The event was hosted by African American Voter Registration and Education Project (AAVREP) with U.S. Rep. Karen Bass
"I really want to express to all of you that I have your back," Newsom told supporters. "This is an attack on our values, the things we hold dear as a state."
"Just consider the prospect if we don't vote ‘no’ on this election," he said, painting a dire picture for California policies on climate change, labor, and social justice if Elder is elected.
Elder has repeatedly faced racism claims by the left because of his political views. A recent column by The Los Angeles Times called him "the Black face of White supremacy."
"I anticipated that would happen. This is why a lot of people don’t go into politics because of the politics of personal destruction," Elder told Fox News late last month.
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"This is not the first time the L.A. Times has attacked me, there is another writer who all but called me a Black David Duke," he added. "They are scared to death."
Elder has also forcefully denied a recent claim from his former fiancée that he brandished a gun during an argument the two had in 2015. Republican candidates Kevin Faulconer and Caitlyn Jenner called on him to drop out of the race over the allegations.
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