Carl DeMaio and Andrew Hayes are two Republican firebrands vying to succeed termed-out Assemblywoman Marie Waldron in the sprawling 75th District.
On Saturday, they torched each other at a candidates forum in Ramona.
DeMaio, the 49-year-old former San Diego councilman and ex-KOGO talk-show host, struck first, saying his main GOP rival is being boosted by Democrats.
Democrats, he told a crowd of 80, “want a go-along, get-along Republican because that’s the type they want up in Sacramento — until they pick him off and replace him with a full-fledged Democrat.”
The founder and chair of Reform California, DeMaio said Democrats in Sacramento consider him an “existential threat.”
“And you know what? They’re damn right,” he said on the eve of early voting in the March 5 state primary.
“My opponent’s going to be funded by a lot of Democrat groups and labor union bosses…. The Sacramento swamp is going to try to manipulate in this race. Don’t let them. Trust your gut. Demand better. … Why in the hell would a 5% candidate stay in the race and waste so much of our money?”
(The 5% reference might be to Hayes’ supposed favorability rating in a poll DeMaio commissioned.)
Hayes, the 29-year-old president of the Lakeside school board, didn’t call out DeMaio by name during his turn on stage — receiving some of the biggest cheers of the early afternoon event.
“I’m tired of people who just complain loudly and don’t deliver anything,” Hayes said. “My job is to make government work for you, not to just scream loudly. … Just complain is not what I want to do.”
After taking a booth seat to watch other speakers, Hayes responded to questions from Times of San Diego.
How does he react to being labeled a tool of Democrats?
“I don’t know what he’s talking about,” Hayes said. “Carl has a problem with the truth.”
Has Hayes ever heard this charge before from DeMaio?
“Never heard that,” he said. “My track record certainly wouldn’t look like someone [Democrats] would want to recruit. It’s called Carl creating stories that aren’t true.”
DeMaio didn’t respond Saturday night to requests for comment on Hayes’ critique.
Dan Summers, the American Liberty Forum leader, read DeMaio an audience question at Ramona MainStage: Why would you enter a race that already has a Republican running?
DeMaio said he answered a call from Richard “Ric” Grenell, a former Trump administration official and fellow gay Republican who opted not to run for governor. DeMaio also saw the county GOP as being “broke.”
So over Thanksgiving, he recalled thinking: “If I don’t do this now, I’m going to be packing a U-Haul truck in 10 years or sooner” even though he called the Assembly seat “the worst job I’ve ever applied for.”
DeMaio said Jack Fernandes, a third young Republican in the race, told him: “I’m on the ballot, but you’ve got my support.”
“This guy’s got a great future,” DeMaio said of Fernandes.
DeMaio likened his status to Donald Trump’s — as the inevitable standard-bearer against three Democratic hopefuls — teacher Christie Dougherty, retired revenue officer Joy Frew and small business owner Kevin Juza — in the heavily Republican 75th District.
“Why would another Republican file for the seat and waste Republican money?” DeMaio declared, saying that even with Trump as the GOP’s far-favorite pick, conservative donors have wasted $300 million on his rivals.
Without naming Hayes, DeMaio said he asked of his challenger: “Why are you duping so many donors and wasting so much money?”
Hayes joined the school board at age 24 (after running unopposed) and touted his helping the Lakeside Union School District panel become a 5-0 conservative board.
He champions a parents bill of rights, and challenges state rules forcing school officials to keep gender-affirming wishes of students secret from their parents.
Hayes’ website lists 100 personal endorsements as well as 16 groups including the county and state GOP. Outgoing Assemblywoman Waldron backs him, as does his employer state Sen. Brian Jones and Rep. Darrell Issa — who spoke earlier. (Emcee Dan Summers, a Ramona school board member, also is listed as endorsing Hayes.)
DeMaio doesn’t have an endorsement page on his website but posted news releases saying he’s endorsed by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association PAC and California College Republicans.
Hayes said he could win by focusing on issues like cost of living and crime. (But he railed against the state’s “wacko environmental policy” and said energy costs would decline only by drilling for oil off the coast.)
“Without using wedge issues, we’ll continue to lose,” Hayes said. “And losing is not a Republican value, my friends.”
He concluded: “I want to win — I don’t want to just speak about it.”