The effort to paint California gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder as a domestic abuser has failed. In reality, the whole thing was dead on the water – but as we have all learned, when a right-leaning candidate seems like they might defeat a Democrat in a high-profile race, you can always count on allegations of mistreating women.

The Los Angeles Times reported that prosecutors “have declined to pursue a criminal complaint against Larry Elder for allegations of brandishing a gun and domestic abuse, in a 6-year-old case related to statements made by his former fiancée.”

Los Angeles authorities refrained from pursuing a prosecution because misdemeanor cases such as this carry a one-year statute of limitations, according to a spokesman for the district attorney’s office.

Alexandra Datig, Elder’s former fiancée, who recently alleged that he was abusive towards her, stated he brandished a firearm during an argument before splitting up in 2015. The timeframe in which Elder’s alleged behavior occurred is well outside of the statute of limitations, which Datig knew at the time when she filed the police report last week.

From the Times:

Datig said she had been told that the L.A. city attorney’s office also would not continue an investigation because of the time that had elapsed. Neither office ruled on the substance of her allegations, but said their findings would be rendered moot because the alleged incidents occurred six years ago or more.

In previous interviews, Datig contended that during a 2015 quarrel, Elder checked to see whether his revolver was loaded. She also claimed the candidate pushed her in 2014 during a fit of “drug-induced anger” and claimed he was a regular marijuana user. In a written statement, Datig said:

He was angry and exhibited hostility towards me in the form of silent scorn during our conversation. He proceeded to open the drawer and reached inside for his .45 caliber revolver. Making sure the firearm was in my view, he opened the cylindrical, rotating part of the revolver checking to make sure the gun was loaded with cartridges. He proceeded to close the cylinder, again, making sure the firearm was in my view and then proceeded to put the firearm back in the drawer.

Datig also claimed Elder forced her to sign a non-disclosure agreement regarding their relationship.

Elder has defended himself against the allegations in a statement released to KTTV, he said:

I have never brandished a gun at anyone. I grew up in South Central; I know exactly how destructive this type of behavior is. It’s not me, and everyone who knows me knows it’s not me.

These are salacious allegations. People do not get into public life precisely because of this type of politics of personal destruction.

I am not going to dignify this with a response—it’s beneath me. While my opponents and the Newsom campaign would love to keep voters distracted, I am going to stay focused on the issues that inspired 1.7 million Californians to petition for this recall.

So far, no evidence has emerged indicating Elder is an abuser, and no other women have come forward to make similar allegations. We can be sure Democrats have looked for other women to make similar allegations, just as they did with Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. The bottom line is that abusers typically don’t just act out once or twice – they establish a pattern. If Elder were the type of person who Datig is accusing him of being, it would not be difficult to find someone else to come forward. But this isn’t happening, as of yet.

Still, regardless of the veracity of Datig’s allegations, it seems clear what is happening here. Polls are showing that Gov. Gavin Newsom is in danger of losing his job due to the recall election. Elder is the frontrunner among the individuals seeking to replace him.

Chances are, if Newsom is recalled, the radio show host will become the governor at least until next year when he would be up for re-election. Datig’s allegations seem like a desperate attempt to stop this from happening – but it’s doubtful that the effort to smear Elder will have any real impact on the recall vote set to take place in September.