The Making of the President 2024: Larry Elder
Next up in the race for the Republican Party is conservative radio talk show host Larry Elder of Califoria. His full name is Laurence Allen Elder and he was born on April 27, 1952. He is the host of the Larry Elder Show, a radio program based in California. The show began as a local program on Los Angeles radio station KABC in 1993 and ran until 2008. The show had a second run on KABC from 2010 to 2014 and is now nationally syndicated, first through ABC Radio Networks from 2002 to 2007 and then through the Salem Media Group from 2015 to 2022. Elder is connected with The Epoch Times, a far-right newspaper published by the Falun Gong movement, a new religious movement that was founded by its leader Li Hongzhi in China in the early 1990s. Falun Gong has its global headquarters in Dragon Springs, a 427-acre compound in Deerpark, New York, near the residence of Li Hongzhi.
Elder is a lawyer who earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science in 1974 from Brown University. He then earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan Law School in 1977. After graduation from law school, Elder joined the Cleveland law firm Squire, Sanders & Dempsey. In 1980, he founded Laurence A. Elder and Associates, a legal executive search firm. Elder stepped down from operating Elder and Associates in 1987 but continued to own the firm until 1995.
Elder has written nonfiction books and a nationally syndicated column through Creators Syndicate. He is the author of “As Goes California: My Mission to Rescue the Golden State and Save the Nation.” In 2021, Elder made his first run for elected office, as a Republican candidate in the recall election of California's Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom. The recall was defeated by a wide margin, although Elder placed first among the replacement candidates.
On April 20, 2023, Elder announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination in the 2024 presidential election. His campaign slogan is "We've Got a Country to Save." Elder stated, “America is in decline, but this decline is not inevitable. We can enter a new American Golden Age, but we must choose a leader who can bring us there. That’s why I’m running for President.”
In his 2000 book, The Ten Things You Can't Say In America, Elder laid out a 10-point plan to "save America". He called for abolishing the Internal Revenue Service, creating a national sales tax, reducing government by 80%, ending welfare and entitlements, abolishing the minimum wage, and eliminating corporate taxes. He is opposed to minimum wage laws, and opposes the idea of universal basic income. Elder opposed California's unpaid family leave law.
Elder has been critical of public-sector labor unions, especially the California Teachers Association, claiming that approximately 15,000 California teachers are "incompetent." He has called for more charter schools and private schools.
Elder is opposed to abortion, calling it "murder." He believes that abortion laws should be decided at the state level. He has also espoused questionable views on scientific subjects such as secondhand tobacco smoke, climate change, and COVID-19 treatments. In a 2000 book, Elder suggested that the health hazards of secondhand tobacco smoke had been exaggerated, and he has described climate change as a "myth" and a "crock." He has criticized President George W. Bush and Senator John McCain for their acknowledgement of climate change as a serious challenge. In 2021, Elder expressed his opposition to public health mandates for state government workers in California, such as COVID-19 vaccine requirements, face mask requirements, and regular COVID-19 testing. Elder also blames “fatherlessness” for rising crime rates.
Elder has said that he does not believe in systemic racism, calling it a lie. He is a critic of the Black Lives Matter movement, and blames the movement for the rising crime rate. He has said that welfare is more harmful to Black families than slavery ever was.
This far, Elder has not been taken seriously as a candidate according to polling data. Real Clear Politics (RCP) has him polling at 0.4% in their most recent aggregate polling results. He has not obtained any endorsements from any prominent Republican elected officials or leaders.
Elder is a lawyer who earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science in 1974 from Brown University. He then earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan Law School in 1977. After graduation from law school, Elder joined the Cleveland law firm Squire, Sanders & Dempsey. In 1980, he founded Laurence A. Elder and Associates, a legal executive search firm. Elder stepped down from operating Elder and Associates in 1987 but continued to own the firm until 1995.
Elder has written nonfiction books and a nationally syndicated column through Creators Syndicate. He is the author of “As Goes California: My Mission to Rescue the Golden State and Save the Nation.” In 2021, Elder made his first run for elected office, as a Republican candidate in the recall election of California's Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom. The recall was defeated by a wide margin, although Elder placed first among the replacement candidates.
On April 20, 2023, Elder announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination in the 2024 presidential election. His campaign slogan is "We've Got a Country to Save." Elder stated, “America is in decline, but this decline is not inevitable. We can enter a new American Golden Age, but we must choose a leader who can bring us there. That’s why I’m running for President.”
In his 2000 book, The Ten Things You Can't Say In America, Elder laid out a 10-point plan to "save America". He called for abolishing the Internal Revenue Service, creating a national sales tax, reducing government by 80%, ending welfare and entitlements, abolishing the minimum wage, and eliminating corporate taxes. He is opposed to minimum wage laws, and opposes the idea of universal basic income. Elder opposed California's unpaid family leave law.
Elder has been critical of public-sector labor unions, especially the California Teachers Association, claiming that approximately 15,000 California teachers are "incompetent." He has called for more charter schools and private schools.
Elder is opposed to abortion, calling it "murder." He believes that abortion laws should be decided at the state level. He has also espoused questionable views on scientific subjects such as secondhand tobacco smoke, climate change, and COVID-19 treatments. In a 2000 book, Elder suggested that the health hazards of secondhand tobacco smoke had been exaggerated, and he has described climate change as a "myth" and a "crock." He has criticized President George W. Bush and Senator John McCain for their acknowledgement of climate change as a serious challenge. In 2021, Elder expressed his opposition to public health mandates for state government workers in California, such as COVID-19 vaccine requirements, face mask requirements, and regular COVID-19 testing. Elder also blames “fatherlessness” for rising crime rates.
Elder has said that he does not believe in systemic racism, calling it a lie. He is a critic of the Black Lives Matter movement, and blames the movement for the rising crime rate. He has said that welfare is more harmful to Black families than slavery ever was.
This far, Elder has not been taken seriously as a candidate according to polling data. Real Clear Politics (RCP) has him polling at 0.4% in their most recent aggregate polling results. He has not obtained any endorsements from any prominent Republican elected officials or leaders.