Conservative radio host Larry Elder joins Gavin Newsom recall race: 'We've got a state to save' Michael Ruiz Conservative radio host Larry Elder officially kicked off his recall challenge to California’s Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom Tuesday, announcing "We’ve got a state to save" and adding a nationally known name into the race to replace the embattled politician. "People are fed up," the 69-year-old attorney told Fox News in an afternoon phone call. "2.2 million people signed this petition, which meant a lot of Democrats and a lot of independents who voted for this man changed their minds." Newsom first won the election in 2018 in a landslide. But since then, devastating wildfires, rolling power outages, a pandemic and a surge in violent crime have left voters soured.