Conservative radio host Larry Elder announces 2024 White House campaign

Republican lost bid to replace California Governor Gavin Newsom during 2021 recall

Larry Elder has announced his 2024 presidential campaign but will be seen as a long shot. AP

Larry Elder, the conservative radio host who launched a failed recall campaign against California Governor Gavin Newsom in 2021, has announced he is running for the Republican Party's nomination for the 2024 US presidential election.

Mr Elder made his announcement on Fox News host Tucker Carlson's programme on Thursday night.

"As a California resident, I’ve seen first-hand how decades of Democrat rule have turned the Golden State, for many, into an unaffordable dystopia. I won’t let them do the same to America,” he wrote on his election campaign website.

“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.”

Mr Elder — seen as a long-shot for the Republican nomination — joins a list of candidates headlined by former president Donald Trump. Others who have announced their candidacy include former US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.

Other high-profile candidates such as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former vice president Mike Pence and US senator Tim Scott are expected to run for the Republican nomination as well.

President Joe Biden will likely lead the Democratic ticket after his expected re-election announcement next week.

Mr Elder first ran for public office in 2021, when he was one of 46 candidates seeking to force Mr Newsom out of office in California during a recall campaign against the Democrat. But more than 60 per cent of the state's voters chose to keep Mr Newsom in office.

The radio host, a supporter of Mr Trump, sought to cast doubt on the election results before they were released by making baseless claims about election fraud.

Mr Elder is expected to speak at the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition this weekend, at which Mr Trump, Mr Hutchinson and Mr Scott are also scheduled to speak.

The Associated Press contributed to this report