By Corey Gustafson
Chairman, Republican Party of San Diego County
President Trump has correctly said that fake news has become a cancer upon our body politic. One op-ed, let alone one book, cannot sufficiently chronicle the multitude of left-wing bias in our media. Blatant liberal bias bursts onto our screens all the time. We saw it in both Presidential debates, as well as the Vice Presidential debate with “journalists” fact-checking (wrongly) Republican candidates and running cover for Democrats. We have come to expect this from a media narrative overtly partial to the Democratic Party.
Unfortunately, fake news is not confined solely to the left. Locally, Assembly candidate Carl DeMaio has put on a virtuoso performance of fake news, masquerading as a conservative- or liberal- depending on his audience. He has sent literature attacking President Trump’s MAGA Movement as extreme:
Regarding abortion, Mr. DeMaio has flip-flopped many times over the last 10 years. DeMaio’s historical ambivalence reflects a Machiavellian determination to subordinate principle to political convenience. When he faced Democrat Scott Peters for Congress in 2014, he claimed he was pro-choice. Then, in 2020, he claimed he was pro-life in his losing bid against Republican Congressman Issa. Today, he has returned to his pro-choice position to hoodwink Democratic voters:
From the right, Mr. DeMaio falsely claims to be the California Republican Party candidate for Assembly 75. He uses the GOP logo and copies our voter guide style in text messages and deceptive mailers to mislead Republicans:
Moreover, Mr. DeMaio falsely alludes to President Trump’s endorsement. Let me be clear: President Trump has not endorsed Carl DeMaio. President Trump is busy beating Kamala Harris and leaves San Diego County endorsements to the Republican Party of San Diego County. President Trump is happy with the way our Party has fought for conservatism in San Diego County and sent a message to us in June:
In fact, Mr. DeMaio demonizes MAGA. Through his Reform California organizations, Mr. DeMaio has contributed over $60K to the “Progressive California Voter Guide”:
By contributing to the Progressive Voter Guide and attacking MAGA, Mr. DeMaio is supporting the radical left’s attempts to smear President Trump’s movement. Mr. DeMaio thus actively undermines President Trump’s reelection campaign through his support of progressive voter guides.
I believe in President Reagan’s “11th Commandment.” It pains me to see Republicans attacking each other when we should be focused on beating Democrats. However, I must, as Chairman of the Republican Party of San Diego County (RPSDC), call out misuse of the Republican Party’s name and attacks on RPSDC’s endorsed candidates. Mr. DeMaio has stepped over the line by misleading voters on where the Republican Party stands in California’s 75th Assembly District election. DeMaio has purposely fueled division and created drama instead of supporting a unity of purpose and shared vision that Republicans must embrace to win elections in 2024 and beyond.
Character counts. That principle also underlines why we endorsed Andrew Hayes for the 75th Assembly District. Our endorsement was pro-Andrew, not anti-Carl. But Mr. DeMaio chose to run anyway at the last second, filing on the last day of last year. Through his organization Reform CA, he has undermined officially endorsed Republican candidates (like Jared Wilson in Poway) and removed his endorsement from other steadfast conservatives like Bill Wells who now runs against radical Squad member Congresswoman Sara Jacobs in the 51st Congressional District. Confusing and dividing the Republican vote will only elect more Democrats.
Enough is enough. Let’s resolve to get out our Republican vote for Andrew Hayes and Bill Wells so we can send character and principle back to Sacramento and Washington, D.C.
For the OFFICIAL Republican Party of San Diego County CA District 75 Voter Guide, see below. Please go to www.sandiegorepublicans.org for a full list of our endorsements.
