Larry Elder says he's strongly considering a presidential run

Larry Elder is thinking seriously about mounting a White House bid.

Last year, Elder ran for California governor during the Golden State's gubernatorial recall election. He earned far more votes than any of the other candidates vying for the opportunity to replace Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, but the governor ultimately survived the recall after a majority of voters declined to oust him from office. Newsom is currently running for reelection in California's 2022 gubernatorial contest.

Elder, who writes a column and has authored multiple books, departed from his role as a talk radio show host with the Salem Radio Network earlier this year. He is also the executive producer of "Uncle Tom II," a documentary which follows after the 2020 film "Uncle Tom."

During an interview on CSPAN's Book TV, Elder noted that he is strongly considering a presidential run.

He said that it is not that he thinks he could "displace" former President Donald Trump or Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, if they pursue the presidency. "But I've got some things to say. And the major thing is the breakdown of the American nuclear family," Elder explained. "The welfare state has, in my opinion, incentivized women to marry the government and incentivized men to abandon their financial and moral responsibility."

DeSantis is currently running for reelection in Florida, but has not announced plans for a presidential bid. Former President Donald Trump is widely expected to run again in 2024, though he has not made an official announcement yet.

"I don't feel I'm running against him," Elder told the Des Moines Register. "I'm running for president. And I'm not running against anybody on the Republican side. I'm running against Joe Biden, if he runs, or Kamala Harris, if she runs." He noted that he is "kicking the tires" in the state of Iowa as he mulls a bid for higher office.

Elder spoke at an Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition event on Saturday, according to the outlet. Last month, he attended the Iowa State Fair.

“If you're going to run for president … the Iowa State Fair is kind of a rite of passage," Elder told the Daily Wire. "So I went, and I was kind of overwhelmingly surprised by the gracious reception. I met with the governor of Iowa. I met with (the) lieutenant governor. I met with a number of local politicians, and I met with some pretty deep-pocketed donors. Nobody felt that it was an outlandish kind of thing to consider."