Transgender TV personality Jenner announces bid for California governor

American TV personality and former Olympic champion Caitlyn Jenner, who underwent gender reassignment surgery in 2015, announced her candidacy for California governor on Friday (23rd) local time.

In a social media post, Jenner said she will join more than 2 million California residents in a coalition to demand that incumbent Governor Newsom step down, challenge the corrupt policies of the Democratic Party, and fight for California’s future. A longtime Republican Party member, Jenner recently filed her campaign materials in Los Angeles, and with them, she is building momentum for the highest-profile campaign yet for a transgender person to run for public office in the United States.

Born in October 1949, Jenner was the men’s 10-event champion at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada, and is a household name in reality television in the U.S. She came out as a woman after undergoing gender reassignment surgery in 2015.