Caitlyn Jenner’s campaign for governor of California definitely isn’t a grab for continued relevance. You can tell by the way she opted to ditch the upcoming recall election campaign trail to appear on Celebrity Big Brother. Oh, wait.
Despite the special election being scheduled for September 14, the former-Olympian-turned-reality-star arrived in Sydney, Australia over the weekend for two weeks of quarantine in preparation for recording the reality show, which airs on Australia's Channel 7.
Before heading down under, Jenner tweeted that regardless of her reality TV plans, her campaign would continue. “I am honoring a work commitment that I had made prior to even deciding to run for governor. There is no pause at all in this race to save CA!” she wrote. “My campaign team is in full operation as am I. I am in this race to win for California, because it is worth fighting for,” she wrote in the following tweet.
Jenner is seen by many as a longshot candidate, as she’s struggled to gain support from many of the groups she’d likely need to secure the governorship. This is in part because of her inability to reconcile her support of former President Donald Trump’s rumored 2024 run for office and her activism for trans rights. She reaffirmed this support during an appearance on the Fox News' Justice with Judge Jeanine on Sunday, July 18.
“If I was governor of the state of California, obviously, I would support him,” Jenner said.
“What if you weren’t governor, would you still support him?” Pirro asked.
“Yes, I still would support him,” Jenner responded. “I do not like what’s happening in this country right now.”
Jenner’s campaign has drawn criticism from the highest-ranking out transgender elected official in the U.S., Delaware Sen. Sarah McBride (D). McBride characterized Jenner’s run for governor as a “joke”.
“I don’t think a trans vanity joke campaign, essentially what this is perceived as, is helpful to trans people being seen as fully realized, substantive, nuanced, diverse human beings,” McBride told Business Insider.
“I don’t see her talking to voters,” McBride continued. “I see her talking to far right-wing media. I see her talking to CPAC. I don’t see her talking to Californians.”
“Caitlyn Jenner running for office is not helpful because I don’t think people perceive her, and this is an accurate perception, as a serious candidate and as a serious person,” McBride added. Jenner’s decision to leave the campaign trail for a return to reality TV does little to contradict this view.
