Carl DeMaio’s Extreme Record in San Diego

Carl DeMaio may be a relatively new name on the East Coast, but in San Diego and California’s 52nd Congressional District, voters know DeMaio and his extreme record painfully well. Among DeMaio’s most controversial positions and statements are the following lowlights:
 

1. DeMaio called the Ryan Budget and its devastating cuts “a starting point.”
   
While polls consistently show that most Americans oppose the Ryan Budget because it ends the Medicare guarantee and raises seniors costs while giving the wealthy a pass, Carl DeMaio would use that framework as his starting point. Not coincidentally, the Reason Foundation – DeMaio’s employer – has said the Ryan Budget does not go far enough in slashing benefits that people pay into over a lifetime of work.
      
2. DeMaio named Sen. Ted Cruz as a model legislator on the day the shutdown began. 

On the first day of the disastrous federal government shutdown, Carl DeMaio cited its architect, Ted Cruz, as an example of how he would try to stand out in Washington. He made clear that he would emulate Cruz’s divisive approach, saying, “it’s a question of whether you are willing to stand your ground.”
       
3. DeMaio wants to “make San Diego the Wisconsin of the West” and twice voted against benefits for widows and orphans of slain police officers. 

DeMaio made his name in San Diego politics by attacking workers’ retirement benefits. In addition to his rallying cry to local Republicans to “make San Diego the Wisconsin of the West,” DeMaio cast high-profile and controversial votes against death benefits for the families of slain police officers.
       
4. DeMaio earned a reputation for being “too polarizing” and left “behind a divisive legacy.” 

After DeMaio lost his bid for mayor, the Union-Tribune noted he had been “too polarizing” and left “behind a divisive legacy” on the San Diego City Council. Former San Diego Mayor and fellow Republican Jerry Sanders had a choice word to describe DeMaio’s reputation for taking credit for San Diego’s successes after doing nothing to help achieve them.

BACKGROUND:

• DeMaio: “The Ryan Budget Provides a Starting Point Of A Lot Of Good Ideas.” [The Hill, 12/12/13]
• Medicare Rights Center: “The Ryan Budget Would End Medicare As We Know It.” [Medicare Rights Center, 3/12/13]
• Reason Foundation: Tea Party Candidates Don’t Go Far Enough to Cut Entitlements. In 2010, Reason Foundation senior analyst Shikha Dalmia argued that the Tea Party movement did not go far enough in pushing for cuts in entitlement programs. [Reason Foundation, “Entitlement Reform? Not Their Cup of Tea,” 11/01/10]
• DeMaio Compared Himself To Sen. Ted Cruz At The Peak Of The Government Shutdown. In October 2013, DeMaio said the following: “Take a look at what Ted Cruz is doing. He’s a freshman Senator, he’s certainly creating a lot of stir. So I do believe one individual can make a difference. And it’s a question of whether you are willing to stand your ground.” [San Diego Lions Club Video 4, 10/1/13]
• Wanted To Make San Diego The “Wisconsin Of The West” by Eliminating Collective Bargaining. In 2011, DeMaio suggested that he wanted to eliminate collective bargaining rights for public workers. “Are you ready to make San Diego the Wisconsin of the West?” DeMaio said. [San Diego Union-Tribune, 10/28/12; Voice of San Diego, 4/12/11]
• Twice Voted Against Benefits for Widows and Orphans of Slain Police Officers. In July 2010, DeMaio twice voted against labor deals that would have provided survivor benefits to the widows and orphans of slain police officers. [Voice of San Diego, 10/30/12]
• Union-Tribune: DeMaio is “Too Polarizing” And “Le[ft] Behind a Divisive Legacy.” In 2012, the San Diego Union-Tribune wrote that DeMaio was “too polarizing” and that his defeat in the mayoral election “means that DeMaio will leave behind a divisive legacy.” [San Diego Union-Tribune, 11/08/12]

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