The California Republican Party says Assemblymember Carl DeMaio is trying to fool GOP voters with mailers and a companion website that look and feel like official party endorsements. On Thursday, it formally told him to cut it out. Party leaders say the materials use the Republican elephant and the word "OFFICIAL," and they are warning of possible civil and criminal referrals if DeMaio does not back off. The clash puts a growing rift between DeMaio’s Reform California operation and more traditional party leaders squarely in public view as the June primary approaches.
Party's legal warning
In a May 14 cease-and-desist letter, the California Republican Party’s general counsel, Ashlee Titus, accused DeMaio of slapping the words "OFFICIAL" and "Republican Central Committee Slate" next to the party elephant on a paid slate mailer and website in what she called a calculated deception. The letter demands that DeMaio take down RepublicanVoterGuideCA.com, preserve all related communications and provide a full accounting of contributions tied to the effort, and it sets a written-compliance deadline of close of business next Tuesday, May 19. According to the California Republican Party, the party "reserves every right to pursue criminal referrals as well as civil remedies."
DeMaio's site and mailers
DeMaio's voter guide site, RepublicanVoterGuideCA.com, bills itself as the "OFFICIAL Republican Voter Guide," highlights "Priority Candidates" that include Kristie Bruce-Lane and features a downloadable mailer stamped with an elephant emblem and a contribution button. The site also carries a message from DeMaio urging Republicans not to be "shut out" and telling them to follow the guide, as shown on RepublicanVoterGuideCA.com.
Why DeMaio's operation matters
Reform California, the fundraising and media machine DeMaio runs, has become a heavyweight in GOP primaries, raising millions of dollars and jumping into endorsement battles across the state. That money and muscle have long put DeMaio on a collision course with county and state party leaders, who say his operation sidelines the party’s traditional endorsement process, according to CalMatters.
Mailers multiply the split
The fight escalated after a competing leadership mailer tied to U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa backed Ed Musgrove and used similar Republican branding. A separate Republican leadership mailer quoting Senate leader Brian Jones warned not to be fooled by other misleading mailers. The Sacramento Bee reported on the party’s cease-and-desist letter and the rival mailers, highlighting a very public intra-party feud just weeks before the June primary.
Legal implications
The state party’s letter raises the prospect of trademark and unfair-competition claims under the Lanham Act and cites state election laws, including Elections Code section 20007, which bars misrepresentations that a candidate or campaign has the backing of a party central committee. It also warns that soliciting money using the party’s name can be treated as a misdemeanor and demands both a corrective communication and an accounting of donations, in line with the state Elections Code §20007.
DeMaio pushes back
Reform California brushed off the cease-and-desist as a political hit and argued that DeMaio is doing the organizing and voter outreach the party has failed to deliver, pointing to its voter-identification campaign and statewide efforts. The voter-guide site itself carries DeMaio’s message along with an on-page disclaimer that "THIS DOCUMENT WAS PREPARED BY REFORM CALIFORNIA VOTER GUIDE, NOT AN OFFICIAL POLITICAL PARTY ORGANIZATION," while still urging readers to rely on the recommendations, per the Reform California voter guide.
With the close-of-business May 19 deadline looming, the next few days will determine whether this standoff heads to court, triggers an FPPC referral or gets smoothed over with a public correction. Either way, it has crystallized a fight over who gets to wave the Republican banner in some of San Diego’s most closely watched primary contests.
