© Provided by Washington Examiner This fall, the leading Republican candidate for governor in the nation's largest state could be a transgender celebrity at a time when it is the cutting-edge social issue for conservatives across the country.
Alabama, South Dakota, Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, and West Virginia have all passed bills barring transgender athletes from competing against biological females in girls sports. Florida could be next, although the legislation stalled in the state Senate last month.
In a widely heralded campaign video, former Olympic decathlete Caitlyn Jenner, now running as a Republican hoping to unseat Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom in a recall election, said, "I came here with a dream 48 years ago to be the greatest athlete in the world. Now, I enter a different kind of race."
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Left unmentioned is the fact that those athletic accolades were achieved as Bruce Jenner, competing against other biological males in men's sports. The 71-year-old member by marriage of reality TV's Kardashian clan came out as a transgender woman in 2015.
Despite the historic nature of Jenner's candidacy, her path to public office is a familiar one for California Republicans. Song-and-dance man George Murphy, Hollywood actor Ronald Reagan, and the even bigger box office star Arnold Schwarzenegger all won statewide as celebrities turned politicians, two of three becoming governor.
Running on a mixture of fiscal conservatism and social liberalism has also been a well-worn path for Republicans in the Golden State. Schwarzenegger, also initially elected in the recall of an unpopular Democratic governor, and Pete Wilson both rode it to the governorship, though Wilson raised taxes in his first term and took a sharp right turn on immigration to win reelection in 1994.
The appeal of celebrity in national Republican politics is not limited to California. Actor Fred Thompson was elected to the Senate from Tennessee and ran a serious campaign for the GOP presidential nomination in 2008 before losing to John McCain. Former President Donald Trump, a New York tycoon, was a reality TV star before following Reagan's footsteps all the way to the White House.
But Jenner would be running at a time when Republican-led states are increasingly debating legislation curtailing gender reassignment and related procedures for minors and the participation of transgender athletes in sports corresponding to their gender identity rather than their biological sex. Republicans with an eye on the 2024 presidential nomination are following suit. "Across the sporting world, the game is being rigged against women and in favor of biological men," former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley wrote in an op-ed for the National Review.
When Republican governors have failed to go along with this legislation, it has triggered a backlash from social conservatives. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem unsuccessfully sought modifications to her state's bill on transgender athletes. "South Dakota has shown that our student athletes can compete with anyone in the country, but competing on the national stage means compliance with the national governing bodies that oversee collegiate athletics," she tweeted. Lawmakers rebuffed Noem, whose spokesman likened the reaction of "conservative pundits" to "uninformed cancel culture."
"She erred on the side of businesses and workers in her state, which is exactly what a governor is supposed to do," said a veteran Republican operative in Washington, D.C. Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson also faced a fierce reaction from conservatives when he vetoed a bill banning gender hormones and related surgeries. Like Noem, he was grilled by Fox News host Tucker Carlson about whether this was in response to business pressure. The Arkansas Legislature overrode Hutchinson's veto.
"I would advise any clients to always agree to do a show if you have something to talk to the audience about that makes you look good," said a Republican strategist. But if I have a weak position, like Asa Hutchinson did, I think it is counterproductive to go on."
Jenner has opposed transgender competition for biological females in girls sports. "This is a question of fairness," she told reporters. "That's why I oppose biological boys who are trans competing in girls sports in school. It just isn't fair." But Jenner has also expressed frustration with being regularly asked this question.
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But the questions are unlikely to go away anytime soon as this becomes a cultural flashpoint for the GOP ahead of the midterm elections, as Democrats seek to defend narrow congressional majorities.
LGBT activists have accused Jenner of hypocrisy and GOP lawmakers behind the recent bills of transphobia.
Tags: News, Caitlyn Jenner, California, Gavin Newsom, Transgender Issues, Campaign
Original Author: W. James Antle III
Original Location: Caitlyn Jenner campaigns as red states legislate on transgender issues