California gubernatorial recall candidate Larry Elder claimed women ‘know less than men’ about politics and ‘exaggerate the problem of sexism’: report

• California GOP candidate Larry Elder has made numerous derogatory comments about women over the years
• Women "know less than men" about politics and "exaggerate the problem of sexism," Elder said, according to CNN.
• Elder is running to unseat Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in an upcoming recall election.
• See more stories on Insider's business page.

California gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder made numerous derogatory comments about women over his years as a conservative radio host and columnist, according to a CNN KFile report on Thursday.

As recently as January 2017, Elder suggested women who appeared at the Women's March were too unattractive to be sexually assaulted, per the Los Angeles Times. He also insulted those women as "obese."

"When you look at all these women that have marched – something like 2 million women – Donald Trump has probably gotten more obese woman off the couch and in the streets, working out, than Michelle Obama did in eight years," he said on an episode of his eponymous radio show, according to CNN.

In a 2000 column, Elder mocked women and claimed they "know less than men about political issues, economics, and current events."

In a 1996 ad for his radio show, Elder also said women "exaggerate the problem of sexism." The following year, he wrote in a column that premenstrual syndrome "really stands for Punish My Spouse (or Significant Other)" and promoted a 1950s textbook on "How to be a Good Wife" that directed women to "have dinner ready," "clear away the clutter," "touch up your makeup," and to "never complain."

In his 2002 book, titled "Showdown: Confronting Bias, Lies, and the Special Interests that Divide America," Elder expressed support for employers asking women whether and when they plan to get pregnant, otherwise known as pregnancy discrimination, according to a Media Matters for America report.

Elder's campaign office did not immediately return Insider's request for comment.

A California native, Elder announced his campaign on July 12 for the state's upcoming recall election on September 14. Recent polling shows that he leads a crowded field of Republican candidates aiming to unseat incumbent Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom. Elder's GOP opponents have recently attacked him over his history of disparaging remarks toward women.