Kevin Faulconer blasts California recall rival Larry Elder over past comments on women

Former San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer lashed out at recall rival Larry Elder at a debate Tuesday, blasting the radio show host’s past comments on women.

Faulconer, a Republican, cited an excerpt from a 2000 column by Elder in Capitalism Magazine in which Elder wrote that “women know less than men about political issues, economics, and current events.”

Elder’s comments in the piece were based on research by the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Public Policy Center.

Faulconer also said, referencing an article in Media Matters, that Elder believes that it’s “OK to discriminate against women, including pregnant women, in the workplace. “

“That’s bull----, and we ought to call it that,” Faulconer said. “As governor, I’m going to make sure that California daughters have the same opportunities as California sons.”

In response to questions from reporters following the debate, Faulconer suggested those comments were disqualifying for a candidate running in the recall race, who could become California’s next governor.

“You can’t have a governor who believes that,” Faulconer said.

Elder, who leads the GOP pack in the polls, did not attend the debate, which was sponsored by The Sacramento Bee, the Sacramento Press Club and Capital Public Radio and held at the Guild Theater in Sacramento.

Asked at a Wednesday press conference whether he still believes employers can discriminate against women, he said he doesn’t believe the government should interfere with the relationship between employers and their employees.

“I believe that a female employer could ask questions of a female employee or a male employee that directly impacts on whether or not they’d be able to work...a full 40-hour week,” he said.

This story was originally published August 17, 2021 at 7:34 PM with the headline "Kevin Faulconer blasts California recall rival Larry Elder over past comments on women."