The recall election for California Gov. Gavin Newsom is Sept. 14—though mail ballots already are being cast—and the contest remains tight in the polls. It's so close that any one of a number of factors could decide it, and the recent surge of conservative radio host Larry Elder is one of them. The Hill describes him as an "11th-hour curveball," one that has the potential to work in Newsom's favor. Coverage:
- Controversy: As Elder has become one of the GOP frontrunners, controversy has dogged him. Politico interviewed a former fiancee who accuses Elder of pulling a gun on her, and Alexandra Datig then filed a police report about the alleged incident. The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating, per the Mercury News.
- Controversy, II: Meanwhile, CNN dug up controversial comments Elder has made about women over the years. "Glass ceiling? Ha! What glass ceiling? Women, women exaggerate the problem of sexism," he said in 1996. Elder, who is Black, also said "Blacks exaggerate the significance of racism." This latter issue has caused critics to call him "the Black face of white supremacy," writes columnist Erika D. Smith in the Los Angeles Times. Elder denies it, but Smith writes that the comments of his supporters makes his denial hard to believe.