Conservative radio host Larry Elder joins Republican race to be US president

Conservative talk radio host Larry Elder, who failed in a bid to replace the California governor, has announced he is running for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.

Mr Elder, 70, made the announcement on the Tucker Carlson Tonight show on Fox News.

After the announcement on Thursday he tweeted: “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.”

The long-shot candidate joins a Republican field that includes former president Donald Trump, former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, ex-Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.

On the Democrat side, President Joe Biden is expected to confirm his run for re-election in the next couple of weeks.

Mr Elder made his first bid for public office in 2021, when he received the most votes out of 46 people who were hoping to replace California Governor Gavin Newsom in a recall effort. A majority of voters ended up voting against removing Mr Newsom, making the vote count in the replacement contest irrelevant.

Mr Newsom attacked his rival for his support of Mr Trump and his conservative positions, such as opposing abortion rights and restrictions imposed to slow the spread of Covid-19, such as mask mandates.

But Mr Elder said the experience of running for office showed he had a message that resonated with voters.

A lawyer who grew up in Los Angeles’ rough South Central neighbourhood and attended an Ivy League college and law school, he has a following among conservatives through his radio programs and has been a frequent guest on Fox News and other right-wing media.

Mr Elder has criticised Democrats’ “woke” agenda, Black Lives Matter and the notion of systemic racism, positions that have put him at odds with many other black people.