During a conversation with conservative pundit Candace Owens, California Republican gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder suggested that slave owners may be due reparations. 

In the interview that aired in July, Elder spoke about slave owners in the United Kingdom being compensated for having their land taken, Business Insider reports.

"When people talk about reparations, do they really want to have that conversation? Like it or not, slavery was legal," he said. 

“You can make an argument that the people that are owed reparations are not only just Black people, but also the people whose ‘property’ was taken away after the end of the Civil War,” Elder continued. 

The two spent their time talking about the United States' history with slavery, referencing the U.K. He mentioned that the "substantial amounts of money" slave owners received in England inevitably prevented a civil war from igniting in the country, unlike in the U.S.

According to Business Insider, the British Slave Compensation Commission paid out roughly £20 million to slave owners.

In August, Elder's ex-fiancee Alexandra Datig accused the gubernatorial candidate of brandishing a gun at her while he was high on marijuana, Politico reports. The accusation stems from a 2015 argument and, according to Datig, followed a series of humiliating disputes with Elder. 

She accused him of walking to his nightstand, where he pulled out a .45 pistol.

“And he checked if it was loaded — while I was talking,’’ she said. “He wanted to make sure I saw that he had it.”

Datig said she had become fearful for her safety, as well as her ability to maintain her own sobriety. She said Elder would regularly threaten her and demand her to get "Larry's Girl" tattooed on her. 

Elder is now being considered a likely GOP alternative against incumbent Gov. Gavin Newsom. His competitor has since called out his sexism toward women, citing a 20-year-old article Elder wrote, "Women know less than men about political issues, economics, and current events."

In recent days, Elder has also come out against young people getting vaccinated against COVID-19, CNN reports. He said if elected, he would repeal mask and vaccine mandates for state workers. 

Elder is set to go against Newsom in a special election on Sept. 14. 

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