Caitlyn Jenner says she 'can't believe' voters kept Newsom in office after receiving only about 1% of the vote in the California recall election

• Caitlyn Jenner has so far received 1.1% of the vote in the California gubernatorial recall election.
• Despite her near-universal name identification, Jenner struggled to gain traction with voters.
• In a Newsmax interview, she said that she would "evaluate" any future political opportunities.

Caitlyn Jenner entered this year's California gubernatorial recall election with near-universal name recognition and a burning desire to take down Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, branding herself as a "compassionate disrupter" who would "save" the Golden State from its liberal excesses.

However, as the returns came in on Tuesday night, it was clear early on that Newsom would not only remain in office for the rest of his first term, which expires in early 2023, but Republicans would once again be shut out of the levers of power in Sacramento - with Jenner faltering among the electorate in her first political race.

With 58% of the vote in, Jenner has so far received 56,355 votes, or roughly 1.1% of the vote, out of nearly 5.3 million votes that have so far been counted, according to Insider and Decision Desk HQ.

Jenner was well behind Republican frontrunner and conservative radio host Larry Elder, who has so far secured 45% of the vote, amounting to 2,373,551 votes, among those who chose a candidate in the event that Newsom was recalled.

Other prominent Republicans including former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and 2018 gubernatorial nominee John Cox were also ahead of Jenner, securing 8.3% and 4.2% of the vote, respectively.

Jenner, reacting to the results, expressed disappointment that Newsom had survived the recall, which was fueled by conservative anger over his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially as it pertained to business closures during the first waves of the virus.

In a video shared by CBS News, the retired gold-medal Olympian was in disbelief that Newsom beat back the election challenge.

"He didn't campaign on not one of his successes, because he doesn't have any," she said. "I can't believe that this many people actually voted to keep him in office. It's a shame, honestly, it's a shame. You kind of get the government you deserve."

She added: "When I decided to do this, I was coming in as an outsider. I've been around politics a long time, but never actually running for office. And I thought I really needed some great people to surround me, to help me get through this, that know the ins and outs of politics. I was able to assemble a great team. And I have to thank all of them, for giving me the guidance, the help, the work on issues."

During an appearance on Newsmax earlier on Tuesday, Jenner expressed that she was "hoping for the best" with the election results.

"For me, it's just so up in the air [with] what is going to happen," she said. "Number one, we gotta get Gavin Newsom outta there. I think it's going to be difficult doing that, but I'm hoping for the best ... If he doesn't get recalled, I pity the people of California."

When Jenner was asked if she would consider running against Newsom again in 2022 or try her hand at a congressional race, she said that she would keep her options open.

"One thing I can say is I have thoroughly enjoyed this process," she said. "It has been uplifting, rewarding. I'm a compassionate person. I love the people. The process has been great. Once this is over with, we're gonna evaluate, see where we're at."