Former Olympic champion, reality-TV star and transgender activist Caitlyn Jenner is running to be governor of California, as a recall of the sitting Democratic Gov. Gavin Newson moves forward.
In a press release posted to Twitter, Jenner, a longtime Republican, said that she'd make a "formal announcement" in the "the coming weeks" and pitched herself as a "compassionate disruptor" who will campaign on "solutions" and "providing a roadmap back to prosperity" for the state, according to NBC News.
On her official campaign website, CaitlynJenner.com, Jenner states, "California has been my home for nearly 50 years. I came here because I knew that anyone, regardless of their background or station in life, could turn their dreams into reality. But 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. Sacramento needs an honest leader with a clear vision."
During the 2003 recall in election in California, adult-film star Mary Carey, former child actor Gary Coleman and Hustler publisher Larry Flynt added their names to the list of more than 100 would-be governors. Action movie hero Arnold Schwarzenegger ultimately won the election, with 49 percent of the vote.
Jenner announced she is a transgender woman in April 2015; she starred in her own reality TV show, I am Cait, in 2016.
Axios noted that Jenner is being backed by a campaign team that includes Trump campaign veterans.
Jenner backed former President Donald Trump in the 2016 election, but later revoked her support, writing in a 2018 Washington Post editorial, "I was wrong."