Former San Diego City Councilman Carl DeMaio focused on assailing Democrats when he announced his candidacy. | AP Photo San Diego Republican to challenge embattled Hunter for House seat

A prominent San Diego Republican jumped into the race Monday to unseat Rep. Duncan Hunter, underscoring the widespread belief that the party needs a backup plan as Hunter battles a suite of campaign finance violations.

Former San Diego City Councilman Carl DeMaio focused on assailing Democrats, who dominate the state’s Legislature, statewide offices and House delegation, when he announced his candidacy.


“Fight to take back the state of California from one-party control that has been pursuing a socialist agenda,” DeMaio said while laying out a message to supporters. He warned that “if Nancy Pelosi and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez get their way, our entire country will be like California.”

But Hunter’s uncertain political future hung over DeMaio’s announcement. The incumbent has been charged with violating federal campaign finance law, and a trial scheduled to start next month could turn toxic after a judge moved to allow testimony that Hunter allegedly spent campaign funds on extramarital affairs.

Hunter’s legal troubles have helped set off a scramble for his seat, where several other Republicans are already launching campaigns. And DeMaio may also have to outmaneuver a formidable rival if former Rep. Darrell Issa, who resigned from an adjacent House seat subsequently claimed by Democratic Rep. Mike Levin, jumps in.

DeMaio swiftly demonstrated his fundraising prowess by collecting more than $100,000 on Monday, according to a screenshot provided by his campaign.

Despite a sturdy Republican voter registration advantage in California’s 50th Congressional District, Democrats came within a few points of ousting him in last year's election — a close call that added to Republican woes in California, where Democrats flipped seven GOP seats in 2018.

“If we don’t change who the nominee is going into the 2020 election, I’m worried Republicans will lose yet another seat,” DeMaio said.

Since leaving the San Diego City Council, DeMaio has remained an active figure in conservative politics. He hosts a three-hour radio show and has spearheaded various conservative causes, including a recent effort to repeal California’s newly enacted gas tax hike. While that initiative ultimately failed, it drew support from a roster of influential California Republicans like House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Rep. Devin Nunes.

The gas tax campaign also helped DeMaio build a donor base. His Reform California organization has some 600,000 people on its mailing list, a representative said, and his campaign for Hunter's House seat will use the same media firm as Reform California.

DeMaio’s campaign is already bracing for the possibility of Issa’s entrance, commissioning a poll — shared with POLITICO — that shows DeMaio scoring higher favorability ratings than Issa.

A Hunter spokesperson did not respond to POLITICO’s requests for comment.