Larry Elder Is the School-Choice Champion California Needs, Former Dem Senate Leader Says By Caroline Downey
Conservative radio host Larry Elder has emerged as the favorite among the Republicans challenging California governor Gavin Newsom in the upcoming recall election. The fire-breathing right-wing radio host is not just appealing to staunch conservatives, however, he’s also earned an unexpected endorsement from California’s former Democratic Senate leader, Gloria Romero.
A champion for school choice, Romero plans to abandon the Democratic ticket on September 14 in favor of a candidate she believes will be a champion for the impoverished black and Hispanic children who have been abandoned by the Newsom administration.
Hailing from South Central Los Angeles, Elder has walked the walk when it comes to advocating for education freedom, Romero said in an interview with National Review. Elder’s father, a janitor who earned a GED as an adult, instilled the wisdom of “hard work wins” in his sons, a credo that the Republican contender believes goes hand in hand with school choice.
“School choice benefits children of parents who preach that education and hard work are key to upward mobility,” he wrote in a July editorial defending the policy.
Sometimes called the “fourth branch of government,” the California teachers’ union has a monopoly on education that is holding students hostage, Romero claims. As to why school choice hasn’t made inroads in California, she blames “the spinelessness, the lack of a backbone, and fear” that Democratic elected officials have had in responding to this “800-pound gorilla in the room.”
Beholden to the massive public education bureaucracy, which accounts for nearly half of the state’s annual budget, Democratic lawmakers have historically squashed any attempts at school reform, preventing lower-income African-Americans and Hispanic children from securing a higher-quality education, Romero, who is Hispanic, asserted.
“You’re looking at a war chest that no other special interest in California can even command. It’s unparalleled. That’s where they get the money to smash down and frighten Democrats to shut up and stand down when it comes to education reform,” she said.
Romero and Elder have pointed to surveys showing tremendous support for school choice among African American and Latino parents. Yet their pleas are ignored by the Democratic Party, which colludes with the teachers’ union to avoid relinquishing their power.
“Larry Elder has elevated this to the forefront by talking about school choice. The traditional Democratic talking point is that we have to fund systems and the district. Larry Elder and I are saying ‘No, we’re funding students, not schools,’” Romero said.
Newsom is disconnected from constituents and corrupted by California’s political aristocracy, Romero says. She believes that Elder’s background and intimate understanding of racial disparities in education make him the right man for the job.
“Larry Elder can be a very articulate, credible messenger. He can connect with African American and Latino families to talk about the importance of education. All Gavin Newsom has done is complain about the recall and cry to the teachers’ union to protect him. All while sending his kids to private schools, which nobody else can afford,” she added.
Romero’s grievances with Newsom don’t stop at his dismissal of school choice. Like many Californians who fled in droves for the shores of Florida and the plains of Texas, Romero said she’s sick of his administration’s hypocrisy and refusal to address quality-of-life issues.
“The cost of housing is exorbitant. Gas prices have gone up tremendously. The crime rate, the assault rate, the wildfires. The homelessness issue is a close second for me after the schools issue. Not to mention the scandals that have unfolded under Newsom’s watch,” she noted.
Romero cited the California unemployment-office debacle, in which many distributed COVID benefits were delayed or unaccounted for, as another case in which “heads should roll, starting with the governor.” Newsom’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
As the California dream deteriorates, driving disillusioned residents out, Romero said Newsom’s mismanagement of the pandemic highlighted the “arrogance of the ruling class.”
“Newsom can go to the fancy French Laundry restaurant while everybody else gets shut down. He could declare and exempt his own businesses as ‘essential,’ while minority-owned, women-owned small businesses were deemed non-essential,” she said.
It is this disregard for how the other half lives that Romero said is driving some Democrats to consider voting “yes” on the recall.
But Romero says that while many state Democrats will privately grumble about the governor, they lack the courage to vocalize their discontent because Newsom is “controlling the levers of power.” Departing from the party line could mean political suicide for state Democrats, Romero claimed.
Democrats were strongly discouraged from competing against Newsom in the September election and were told to rally around the incumbent or risk jeopardizing their career prospects, she said.
“Don’t you dare try to run against the governor, otherwise they will smash and destroy you. There is fear and intimidation. Don’t believe people are enamored with this governor. There’s a lot who think this governor is a fool, but we’re ordered to shut up,” Romero said.
She cited a presumed ballot-harvesting bust last week, when 300 recall ballots were discovered in the back of a car in California.
“If it was traditional and in-person, hands down the recall would pass. But with this election, it kind of simulates what we did for the presidential election. It means there’s a ballot sent to everyone, even dead voters,” she added.
Despite the bleak polling picture that’s emerged less than two weeks before the election, Romero believes the momentum is on Elder’s side.
“Enthusiasm for getting rid of this governor is very high. There is enthusiasm for Larry Elder as the leading opponent. There is a motivated base of voters that want to throw this governor out of office,” she said.
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