Sacramento Report: To Win A Red Seat, Back A Democrat?

By Deborah Sullivan Brennan, the Voice of San Diego

February 20, 2024

Amid the crowded race for San Diego’s 75th Assembly District, Carl DeMaio is using part of his $1 million war chest to boost a Democratic opponent. It’s a tactic that could nudge his strongest competitor, Republican Andrew Hayes, out of a runoff for the open seat.

DeMaio, an activist, radio host and former San Diego City Council member, jumped into the race in January. He’s sparring with Hayes, who is president of Lakeside Union School District and district director for Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones. The Republican Party endorsed Hayes. The other candidates include Republican Jack Fernandes, and three Democrats, Kevin Juza, Joy Frew and Christie Dougherty.

The sprawling 75th covers San Diego’s backcountry, from Fallbrook to Borrego Springs, down to Campo. The California Citizens Redistricting Commission redrew its boundaries two years ago, placing two Republican incumbents in the same district. Assemblymember Marie Waldron defeated former Assemblymember Randy Voepel in 2022, but she terms out this fall.

Under California law, the top two vote-getters go head to head in the runoff, even if they’re both from the same party. That’s where crowded races like this one get tricky.

An online ad notes that Juza is the officially endorsed candidate of the San Diego County Democratic Party, and warns Democratic voters against splitting the vote. The ad is paid for by Carl DeMaio for State Assembly.

DeMaio declined my request for an interview, but answered written questions.

“This is a safe Republican seat, and we’re waging a strategic and aggressive campaign to lock this seat down in the primary so we don’t waste scarce Republican resources on a runoff,” he wrote in an email. “This will allow me to focus my attention on raising money to flip seats across the state of California to end the Democrats’ supermajority control in Sacramento.”

If his strategy succeeds, he could face an underfunded Democrat instead of a well-heeled Republican in the general election for the red district.

Hayes dismissed the maneuver as “typical Carl shenanigans” and said DeMaio is deceiving Republican donors by using their contributions for a Democrat.

“It’s yet another example of Carl promoting himself over what’s good for people in California,” Hayes said.

Juza, a small business owner who’s campaigning on improving infrastructure, questioned the wisdom of DeMaio’s move.

“I want to make it clear that I don’t approve of him doing that, or spending his money or his resources on me,” Juza said. “But I think in the long run it’s going to hurt him, because showing people what I’m for will help me grab the middle, to go on and win in the general.”

Propping up a candidate from the opposing party has become a common gambit. Slate reported that Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, is underwriting ads for Steve Garvey, his Republican opponent for U.S. Senate, hoping for a run-off against the neophyte conservative in deep blue California. Recently an independent committee supporting San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria’s reelection sent mailers trumpeting his lone Republican challenger.

The practice picked up steam two years ago, when Democratic groups ran ads touting the far-right bonafides of Trump-aligned primary candidates, successfully betting that the MAGA standard-bearers would tank in a general election.

“It may not be one of the most ideal ways to run campaigns, but now in our polarized world, this is one of the standard tools on the political tool belt,” said Carl Luna, a political science professor at San Diego Mesa College.

Jones has endorsed his staff member Hayes, and described DeMaio as a spoiler in an otherwise safe race.

“It’s very unfortunate for the voters of this district that Carl jumped in at the last minute to create all this havoc and confusion,” Jones said.

Meanwhile, both Republicans are competing on their conservative credentials. Hayes sent mailers accusing DeMaio of supporting “open borders,” a “radical transgender agenda” and measures to “defund the police.”

DeMaio trolled his opponent as “Amnesty Andrew” Hayes, and trumpeted his own immigration platform with a TV ad praising former California Gov. Pete Wilson for a hardline stance on the border. A week later, he fundraised off reaction from liberals.

While the name Donald Trump is often a poison pill in California politics, Hayes and DeMaio both offer accolades for the former president. Hayes’ mailer describes himself as a “Pro-Trump conservative” and accuses DeMaio of being a “Never Trumper.” DeMaio sent automated calls “on behalf of myself and President Trump,” urging early voting, and pinned a pitch for Trump on his social media feed.

Their strategy differs from many California Republicans, who strive to distance themselves from Trump without criticizing him, in order to win swing voters. But Luna said that in the solidly red 75th District, Republicans can likely steer right in primaries without course-correcting for a general election.

In his own news, state Sen. Brian Jones made his third stab at a bill to limit placement of sexually violent predators in neighborhoods.

These are people convicted of sexually violent offenses who are diagnosed with a mental disorder that creates a high risk of reoffending. In a suite of high-profile cases, San Diego communities fought against placement of sexually violent predators, known as SVPs, near their homes.

Jones tried twice before to limit where they can be housed, but didn’t gain traction. The recent bill included tweaks to satisfy the Public Safety Committee, including eliminating certain state reporting requirements and the distance requirement from tribal land, he said.

Jones says the state has ceded too much control over the process to a private vendor, Liberty Healthcare, which manages the releases. His latest bill, SB 1074 calls for the director of state hospitals to place public safety as the top priority when releasing SVPS, and to personally sign off on all placements before employees or vendors can sign leases.

Shortly after announcing a federal windfall for Southern California’s beleaguered rail line, state Sen. Catherine Blakespear introduced a bill to renovate the LOSSAN rail corridor between San Diego and San Luis Obispo. The rail line has been out of commission for much of the past year and a half and is closed now after a landslide in San Clemente last month.

On Tuesday, she and other coastal lawmakers including Assemblymember Laurie Davies, R-Laguna Nigel, announced SB 1098. It would direct the California State Transportation Agency to prioritize projects along the rail corridor to boost its capacity and resiliency, and require the four metropolitan planning organizations on the line to draw up plans to improve service.

Helpful tip: If you’re wondering whether you can catch a train up the coast, check Can I Get to LA Today, a website that tracks the line’s open periods and all too frequent closures.

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