California lawmaker Kevin Kiley is joining the race to unseat Gov. Gavin Newsom during an upcoming recall election.

The Republican assembly member announced his candidacy in a July 6 blog post.

“With a strong initial showing, we can unify support,” Kiley said in a push for campaign contributions. “That will help prevent the field from fracturing and splitting the vote.

“Together, we’ve built a new model of citizen-backed representation. Now we can prove it’s more powerful than Gavin Newsom’s special interest corruption.”

Kiley was elected to the California State Assembly in 2016; he was reelected during the 2020 general election with more votes than any Republican in California history.

He joins dozens of other Californians who’ve announced their run for governor as the state’s gubernatorial election approaches, with more expected to file for candidacy before the July 16 deadline.

California’s recall election date has been set for Sept. 14 and candidates from a variety of backgrounds will appear on the ballot.

California’s Secretary of State Office outlines that in order to run as a replacement candidate in a recall election, an individual must be a U.S. citizen, a California registered voter, and never have been convicted of a felony.

If a resident meets the requirements, they’re eligible to file with their county election officials and declare candidacy after receiving 65 to 100 nomination signatures and paying a filing fee of $4,194.94.