Caitlyn Jenner, the former Olympian and reality TV star, announced Friday she plans to run to replace California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in an expected recall election later this year, CNN reports.
"I'm in! California is worth fighting for," she tweeted Friday morning.
Jenner, a longtime Republican, filed paperwork in Los Angeles County and announced her intent on her website. Her bid is one of the most high profile campaigns by a transgender person in the the country.
"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," Jenner said in a news release. "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."
Jenner, who described herself in the announcement as a disruptor and denounced Newsom's impact on the Golden State, began exploring an entry into politics earlier this year and has been working with a close group of GOP strategists to lay the groundwork for her gubernatorial bid -- including Brad Parscale, who ran former President Donald Trump's 2020 quest for reelection and Ryan Erwin, a former senior adviser to Sen. Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign.
"Small businesses have been devastated because of the over-restrictive lockdown," she said.
