LOS ANGELES, CA – Kevin Faulconer, former two-term mayor of San Diego, officially kicked off his campaign for Governor of California today. Outside two schools in Los Angeles, former Mayor Faulconer vowed to fight for a “California Comeback” and pledged to restore California’s promise.
“I’m running for governor to lead the California comeback and fulfill California’s promise of freedom, fairness and opportunity,” former Mayor Faulconer said. “I’m running to be a voice for Californians suffering during this pandemic because Sacramento can’t do the basics, to restore balance and common-sense to California, and to get people back to work, back to school, and back to being proud of our state.”
The launch comes after former Mayor Faulconer’s exploratory committee announced it had raised over $1 million in just over three weeks.
Joined by a group of parents frustrated with Governor Gavin Newsom’s ineffective leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic, former Mayor Faulconer stood between a private school and a public school – one open, one closed – that symbolize Newsom’s unequal and unfair treatment of California children.
“The private school across the street has safely reopened because it’s accountable to parents, but this public school is closed because it’s accountable to Gavin Newsom,” former Mayor Faulconer said.
Newsom promised the public that schools would start reopening this month, but his plan has fizzled after being widely criticized.
“California has so much promise, but we are led by promise-breaker-in-chief Gavin Newsom. Gavin Newsom promised equality but deepened inequality, promised prosperity but destroyed jobs, and promised to safely reopen schools but can’t get the job done.”
Former mayor Faulconer is a candidate for both the gubernatorial recall election, should it qualify, and the upcoming 2022 gubernatorial election.
The 36th mayor of San Diego, Faulconer has earned a reputation for returning ethics and integrity to public service and putting people above politics by focusing on the issues that matter to Californians.
A proven leader with a record of winning in California, Kevin Faulconer has been elected twice in a city with just 24 percent Republican voter registration – a mirror of the state as a whole – by uniting people of all parties and backgrounds.
Kevin Faulconer isn’t a Sacramento insider or wealthy multi-millionaire. He started off cleaning carpets while attending state college. And just like millions of Californians, he and his family have felt the effects of Gavin Newsom’s chaotic COVID-19 response. His wife had her small business devastated by the pandemic. Their children both go to public schools and have seen their education upended by the lack of leadership from the Governor’s Office.
From bringing California’s second largest city back from the brink of bankruptcy to getting San Diego back on track after it was rocked by a corrupt mayor, Kevin Faulconer is tested and ready to keep leading. As America’s only big city Republican mayor, he has shown how to turn government around and return its focus to what’s important: serving the public. As Governor of California, Kevin Faulconer will work for us – and restore balance to our state.