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California Democrats currently hold a Super-Majority in the state legislature and view the handful of Republican elected officials in Sacramento as completely irrelevant. But judging by the amount of money they are spending in just one State Assembly race, Democrats are terrified that things may change in a big way — and soon.
In a move that will infuriate Republican activists, several establishment Republican elected officials and paid political consultants are actually working with Democrats to defeat Reform California and maintain the broken status quo in Sacramento.
In December, Reform California Chairman Carl DeMaio surprised political operatives on both sides of the aisle when he announced he would run for the 75th State Assembly District located in San Diego County.
DeMaio says he wants to take his Reform California movement “inside the belly of the beast” and form a Reform California Caucus in the state legislature that will not only challenge Democrats on their failed policies, but will provide the tools and resources for Republican elected officials to be more forceful and effective as an opposition party.
“If we’re going to break the Democrats’ Super-Majority and save this state from the failures of left-wing policies, we must start by having a complete overhaul of how Republicans fight in this state — we need to stand on principle, get more aggressive, and use outside-the-box tactics to win,” DeMaio declares.
California Democrats see DeMaio and his Reform California as an “existential threat” — and have launched several attack campaign committees to defeat him in the March Primary. Since voting began, DeMaio has had to endure over $1.2 million in nasty and dishonest attack ads against him.
“I wear these attack ads as a badge of honor — because it shows how terrified the Sacramento Swamp is that we will be a real challenge to their corrupt system,” DeMaio says.
“But after spending $1.2 million in just four weeks against us, I would love to see the look of horror on their faces when they realize their attacks only made us stronger with the voters who are hungry for change in California — and we win by a sizable margin on Tuesday,” DeMaio says.
DeMaio also has a message for Republican elected officials in Sacramento.
“Most of the Republicans left in the state legislature actually want to fight for change, but some are too demoralized and many are just needing the right tools and resources to mount effective opposition,” DeMaio says.
“I can’t wait to collaborate with those that want to fight to help our side become more effective,” DeMaio promises.
DeMaio says he is disappointed that several Republican elected officials and political operatives are working behind the scenes with the Democrats in his race to try to force a Republican-Republican runoff in November — an outcome that would waste $2-3 million of Republican campaign funds on what should be a “safe” Republican seat.
“What these Republicans are doing in colluding with the Democrats is gross negligence and political malpractice — and they have shown we cannot rely on their judgement or skills going forward as we fight to Reform California,” DeMaio says.
What are DeMaio’s first steps should he win Tuesday’s Primary?
“First, Reform California will be unveiling what we’re calling a ‘Manhattan Project’-style effort that seeks to reorganize and revitalize what is left of the Republican Party in California — and the plan will call for a major overhaul of the state party and caucus operations in both chambers of the legislature,” DeMaio says.
“Second, we need to focus on retaining and flipping seats in November — and I’m really excited by some of the candidates that we’ve endorsed — like Kristie Bruce-Lane in San Diego, Jeff Gonzalez in Riverside, Suzette Martinez in Santa Clarita, and many others,” DeMaio says.
“Third, we need to help Republicans raise the financial resources they need to be competitive again — which means liberating them from the Sacramento lobbyists and cultivating and activating grassroots contributors who are hungry for change across the state,” DeMaio says.
“If Republicans remain dependent on lobbyist money, they will be never competitive — but if they do what Reform California has shown can be done and activate grassroots donors, then they can shield themselves from the pressure of special interests and fight more aggressively,” DeMaio promises.
DeMaio predicts if he’s effective in Sacramento, he fully expects more Sacramento Swamp money to be spent against him in 2026.
“I guess it will be another compliment — and hopefully another waste of money that would have otherwise gone to our other target seats,” DeMaio concludes.
