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Charlie Kirk slams Caitlyn Jenner's CA governor bid as 'biological standards matter', Internet says 'grow up'

Jenner, a former Olympian and prominent trans activist, filed the paperwork to run for Governor of California after enough signatures were collected to trigger a recall election and potentially oust the Democratic incumbent Gavin Newsom from office

Conservative firebrand Charlie Kirk is being labeled a transphobe after he asserted that he's against Caitlyn Jenner's gubernatorial bid in California because "biological standards matter" for "probably half the country."

Jenner, a former Olympian and prominent trans activist, filed the paperwork to run for Governor of California after enough signatures were collected to trigger a recall election and potentially oust the Democratic incumbent Gavin Newsom from office, Newsweek reported.

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On her campaign website, Jenner says the state capital Sacramento "needs an honest leader with a clear vision." "Californians want better and deserve better from their governor," she said in a statement last week. "We need a leader with a vision and the resolve to see it through."

During an appearance on Fox News Monday, April 26, Kirk said he was "not a huge fan" of the GOP supporting Jenner. "I represent a viewpoint held by probably half the country that biological standards matter," he told anchor Martha MacCallum. "Let me say, I've met Jenner. Very nice person, and I think that Jenner really believes in conservative values to an extent," Kirk said. "However, I represent a viewpoint that millions of other Americans hold, which is that, who are we as Republicans?"

"Are we just always going to try to be the first to try to get to something or are we going to sometimes make the more difficult argument, take all the arrows and the criticism, and say these are deeply held beliefs?" he added.

Jenner is said to have assembled a team of seasoned Republican operatives for her campaign, including Tony Fabrizio, former pollster of ex-President Donald Trump, as well as former White House communications aide Steven Cheung.

It's worth noting that Newsom's popularity among Californians has tanked over his administration's Covid-19 response with stringent school and business closures across the state. A petition for his recall garnered over 1.6 million verified signatures as of Monday, triggering a fresh vote that could take place as early as this summer, according to CNN.

Last month, a poll conducted by the Public Policy Institute of California showed that at least 40 percent of Californians backed the recall effort, while 56 percent opposed it. The GOP is using the chance to oust the first-term Democrat, but Kirk feels Jenner would not be the best candidate.

"It's a complicated topic, but as the Republican Party continues to try to find its soul, I think it's very important that we're clear about who represents our party, especially in a widely covered, publicized governor's race in California," he told Fox News. "So that's why I'm going to continue to take the position I take."

People online lashed out at Kirk for not supporting Jenner's gubernatorial bid and accused him of being a transphobe. "Biological Standards translates to he's a Trans-woman- no way in hell for Charlie Kirk. He should just be honest and say what he means. His followers will still stand by him," one tweeted.

"When he said 'biological standards matter' in opposition to Caitlin Jenner's candidacy for CA Governor, I suspect that Charlie Kirk doesn't actually know much about biology, or even about establishing standards, for that matter," another chimed in.

"You don't have to go any further than #CharlieKirk to find the old school bigotry in the Conservative party. Quick to cry about how they're vilified by the 'majority' yet openly closed-minded on #CaitlynJenner Grow up Charlie it's your own sexuality you don't understand," a third added.