Former gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder said he will not be running for California governor in 2022.

Instead, Elder, 69, said he would be forming a political action committee (PAC) aimed at raising funds for Republican candidates in the Senate and House of Representatives.

“I ran for Governor because I wanted to make a difference,” Elder said Tuesday. “While I may not know what the future holds for me politically, our campaign’s ability to attract millions of votes and millions of dollars in a very short time demonstrates we have a message that resonates with Americans, and I believe we can put that to good use.”

Additionally, Elder said the PAC will focus on “public policy at the local level,” including public educational campaigns.

Elder was a leading gubernatorial candidate in the event that Gov. Gavin Newsom were recalled in 2021, but it did not happen, as 61.9% of California voters voted against a recall.

Of the 7,352,177 Californians who voted for Newsom to be recalled, 3,563,867 voted for Elder, giving him 48.5% of the vote among the replacement candidates.

In comparison, nearly 13 million Californians voted against the recall.

The campaign to recall Gov. Newsom began in June of 2020 and gained more than 1,495,709, which was the minimum signatures needed to put to the state recall to a vote.

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