Conservative radio show host and commentator Larry Elder chose Tucker Carlson Tonight as the platform to announce his candidacy for president. He has been talking about entering the race for several months and made his move Thursday night. He told Tucker he is running because he wants to give back to the country that has been so good to him and his family.

Elder joins a growing field of Republican candidates. Donald Trump was not the first candidate to declare his candidacy. That was Corey Stapleton, former Montana Secretary of State who announced his run on November 11, 2022. Donald Trump announced on November 15, 2022. Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Asa Hutchinson have all entered the race, too. Senator Tim Scott has formed an exploratory committee. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is expected to join the race when the Florida Legislature concludes its session.

Are Republicans in danger of facing an overcrowded field as happened in 2015? I don’t think so. Some potential candidates who were heavily rumored to be interested in running are deciding not to enter the race, such as former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and moderate Republican Larry Hogan, former Governor of Maryland. Chris Christie has announced he will make his decision known in May. Former Vice-President Mike Pence is expected to make his decision known soon. Trump is dominating the field, at least for now, and those who are considering challenging him see the writing on the wall. It is still very early, though, so anything can happen.

Larry Elder announces that he is running for president pic.twitter.com/687JBiQzac

— Greg Price (@greg_price11) April 21, 2023

Elder followed up his announcement on Tucker’s show with a tweet.

America is in decline, but this decline is not inevitable. We can enter a new American Golden Age, but we must choose a leader who can bring us there. That’s why I’m running for President.#WeveGotACountryToSave https://t.co/jOqOBPpre2 pic.twitter.com/MTyibgbKyK

— Larry Elder (@larryelder) April 21, 2023

A statement addressed America’s decline.

“America is in decline, but this decline is not inevitable. We can enter a new American Golden Age, but we must choose a leader who can bring us there. That’s why I’m running for President,” Elder wrote in an accompanying statement.

The 70-year-old Elder told Tucker Carlson that his father and his brothers all served in the military – his father in World War II and his brothers in the Vietnam War era. He said he doesn’t feel good about being the only one who didn’t serve and running for president is a way for him to give back.

Elder last ran for office during California’s gubernatorial recall in 2021. Governor Gavin Newsom survived the recall election. Elder did not challenge Newsom in his reelection last year. He has been making the usual moves that potential presidential candidates make.

And Elder had highlighted a handful of recent trips to Iowa and New Hampshire, the two states that lead off the GOP presidential nominating calendar, to meet with conservative leaders and activists in the early voting states, and that he’s huddled with donors.

The conservative host, who is Black, has said that he believes that among the top issues in the 2024 election are inflation, energy, and border security. But he’s also emphasized that he wants to highlight the plight of children in America being born to parents who are not married and to target what he argues is “this lie about systemic racism.”

He is of the happy warrior style of a Republican candidate, at least from what I’ve seen. He clearly wants to take the fight to Democrats, though. A congenial attitude shouldn’t be mistaken for weakness. Look for Democrats to mock him, as they do Tim Scott, because black Americans can’t think for themselves and choose to be politically conservative, right? Tucker and Elder mentioned that he was called “the black face of white supremacy” because he supports conservative policies and ideas.

We’ll see where this goes, as with the other candidates. The GOP primary season is just getting started.