'I'm In!': Caitlyn Jenner Says She Will Run for California Governor

By Mary Anne Webber First Posted: Apr 23, 2021 11:14 PM EDT

Caitlyn Jenner announced Friday that she will run for governor of California as a Republican candidate.

"I'm in! California is worth fighting for," Jenner tweeted on Friday. In a statement, the 71-year-old transgender reality TV star said that for the past decade, "we have seen the glimmer of the Golden State reduced by a one-party rule that places politics over progress and special interests over people."

Jenner added that she's a "proven winner" and the "only outsider who can put an end to (Governor) Gavin Newsom's disastrous leadership."

Caitlyn Jenner said that California has been her home for nearly 50 years and "Sacramento needs an honest leader with a clear vision," NBC News reported.

According to CBS News, the former Olympic athlete has already filed the initial paperwork to run for governor of California.

Caitlyn Jenner has put up a team of veteran GOP operatives, including Ryan Erwin, who has worked in national and statewide campaigns for years.

On the other hand, Jenner's website was built by Nucleus, a company run by Brad Parscale, who was former President Donald Trump's campaign manager for part of 2020. Parscale was also Trump's digital director in 2016.

Caitlyn Jenner said Newsom's COVID restrictions had widely affected small businesses and caused an "entire generation" of kids to lose a year of education.

Jenner cited the time Newsom dined in with a group of people after releasing an order to stay home. The transgender rights activist referred to the time Newsom was seen at The French Laundry while parts of the state were under lockdown. Newsom is facing a likely-looming recall election later this year.

Caitlyn Jenner's Candidacy

Caitlyn Jenner's bid to run for California governor was not a surprise to her Kardashian family. A family insider said that Jenner has been vocal about getting involved in politics for quite some time now.

The insider added that the family ultimately wants Jenner to be happy and fulfilled, Fox News reported. Many strategists believed that Jenner could be the first in the long line of celebrity and novelty candidates who will run during a recall election.

In the 2003 recall election, adult film star Mary Carey, former child actor Gary Coleman, and Hustler publisher Larry Flynt added their names to the list of governor candidates. But it was actor Arnold Schwarzenegger who won the election with 49 percent of the vote.

Jenner was an Olympic medal-winning decathlete in the 1970s. He became famous for marrying the Kardashian matriarch, Kris Jenner, and got involved in the reality show "Keeping Up with the Kardashians."

Kris and Jenner had two children together, the known supermodel Kendall Jenner and beauty mogul Kylie Jenner. Jenner announced her sexual identity in April 2015 as transgender. In 2015, she started her own reality TV show called "I am Cait."

In the 2016 election, she supported Trump in his presidency. She later retracted her support in 2018, saying Trump was relentlessly attacking the transgender community.

WATCH: Caitlyn Jenner Joins California Race for Governor - From ABC News