California gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder denied allegations that he brandished a gun at his ex-fiance during an argument before the two broke off their engagement.
Elder, 69, said Thursday he has “never brandished a gun at anyone” and argued that his opponents are targeting him “because they know what’s coming on September 14,” the date of the recall election of Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, in which Elder is a leading Republican contender.
REPUBLICAN DOUG OSE DROPS OUT OF CALIFORNIA RECALL RACE FOLLOWING HEART ATTACK
Alexandra Datig, who was engaged to Elder for 18 months, accused the gubernatorial hopeful of producing a .45 pistol during an argument over the status of their relationship back in 2015, according to Politico. Datig also accused Elder of being high on marijuana during the incident.
“He was in the bedroom, and I was standing by the door,” Datig told the outlet, saying Elder “walked over to the nightstand, opened the door, took out the gun.”
“And he checked if it was loaded while I was talking,” Datig added. “He wanted to make sure I saw that he had it.”
Datig, 51, also told the Associated Press that Elder did not point the gun at her but asserted that he wanted her to see that he was checking whether it was loaded.
Elder categorically denied the incident and pointed to his upbringing in a historically violent area of Los Angeles to illustrate that he doesn’t take such behavior lightly.
“I have never brandished a gun at anyone. I grew up in South Central,” he wrote on Twitter. “I know exactly how destructive this type of behavior is. It’s not me, and everyone who knows me knows it’s not me. These are salacious allegations.”
While my opponents and the Newsom campaign would love to keep voters distracted, I am going to stay focused on the issues that inspired 1.7 million Californians to petition for this recall. (3/3)
— Larry Elder (@larryelder) August 19, 2021
“People do not get into public life precisely because of this type of politics of personal destruction,” Elder continued. “I am not going to dignify this with a response — it’s beneath me.”
The termination of Elder’s and Datig’s relationship reportedly involved their mutual signing of a nondisclosure agreement, which provided that the two would “halt mutual insults.”
Datig said she spoke up about the alleged argument despite the NDA because there is “too much at stake” in the California recall race. She supports one of Elder’s rivals, former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, who began targeting Elder’s attitudes toward women earlier this week, the Associated Press reported. In a recent debate, Faulconer cited a section in Elder’s 2002 book saying that employers should be permitted to ask women about their pregnancy plans, a position the former mayor denounced as “bulls***.”
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Recent polling shows Elder with a healthy lead among a crowded field of Republican candidates seeking to oust Newsom, which includes Faulconer, Olympian and reality television star Caitlyn Jenner, and former gubernatorial candidate John Cox.
Absent a traditional primary and general contest, the recall election will pose two questions. Voters will first be asked whether Newsom should be recalled. Only if the “yes” vote meets the 50% threshold will voters then be asked who should replace him, at which point Elder would be well positioned to become the second person ever to win a gubernatorial recall in state history.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Elder for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
