In the midst of her gubernatorial campaign in California, Republican Caitlyn Jenner claimed she would be able to take on the "woke cancel culture" and Silicon Valley after comparing it to the Soviet Union.
She posted of her prowess on Twitter.
Jenner reasoned, "I took on the Soviet Union and won"—not referring to political or military experience but her win at the 1976 Olympics where she won the gold medal in the decathlon.
Jenner said:
"In 1976 I took on the Soviet Union and won. Today Silicon Valley's mono-culture seems to espouse the same values. I will take on Big Tech's woke cancel culture and win for all of California and America."
However, Jenner failed to mention any plans to address the issues mentioned—beyond touting her decades old Olympic win.
Jenner—who is leaning heavily on her past Olympic win—even included it in her Twitter bio saying “Joined my most important race yet, the race for Governor of California"...just in case anyone forgot she was a former track and field gold medalist.
Its not the first time a politician has stretched to use the Soviet Union to gain ground with voters. In 2008 Sarah Palin claimed being the governor of Alaska meant foreign policy experience because—as she said to ABC News—"They're our next door neighbors and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska."
Within the tweet Jenner included a link to an article by The Daily Mail which talked about how some ultra-wealthy people (Elon Musk for example) have been moving out of California. The reasons cited?
Because they want to find cheaper homes, pay less taxes and see fewer homeless people. The article failed to mention California's population has actually increased every year.
In the first poll since Jenner announced her run for the GOP as governor against the current Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, Jenner only garnered six percent of voter support.
When talking to the LA Times, pollster Mark DiCamillo said:
"Even among Republicans, only 13% say they'd be inclined to vote for her. It's a very poor showing."
Jenner has also been successful in turning LGBTQ+ voters away from her campaign as her first big political stance was to attack transgender youth.
Transgender youth already face alienation and prosocial, inclusive activities like sports can make a profound and positive impact on these young people. Yet, Jenner opposed transgender girls being able to participate in school sports.
One thing is for certain, the people of Twitter weren't having it with Jenner's latest claim.
If Jenner continues to lean solely on celebrity status and controversy to win this election, there will likely continue to be heavy pushback.
