GOP Chair Attempts to Switch Party Endorsement in Assembly Race

In an unprecedented move, the chair of the Republican Party of San Diego County Paula Whitsell is trying to change the party’s previous endorsement for the 75th Assembly District race from Andrew Hayes to Carl DeMaio. 

Republican Coronado Mayor Richard Bailey sent an email to the party’s Central Committee on April 4 detailing the situation. The Central Committee is the party’s governing body made up of 42 members.  

“Unfortunately, I am writing to inform you that Chairwoman Paula Whitsell of the Republican Party of San Diego County is abusing her power as chair to circumvent party rules and past precedent to steal the 75th Assembly District endorsement from Andrew Hayes,” Bailey wrote in the email. 

How did we get here: Hayes and DeMaio were the top two vote getters in last month’s Primary Election. The two Republicans are running to replace termed out Republican Assemblymember Marie Waldron for the 75th Assembly District, which encompasses a vast portion of northern and eastern San Diego County.   

Hayes is a Lakeside Union school board member and former aide to Republican state Sen. Brian Jones. He has received endorsements from the California Republican Party, as well as an array of Republican elected officials including Waldron, Jones, Supervisor Joel Anderson and Rep. Darrell Issa. 

DeMaio is a conservative activist and radio talk-show host. He served one term on the San Diego City Council in 2008, then lost races for mayor in 2012 and Congress in 2014 and 2020.  

In June 2023, the Central Committee voted by a 2/3 majority to endorse Hayes for the seat. According to Bailey’s email, DeMaio was a member of the party’s Executive Committee and the Central Committee at that time and was aware of the endorsement process, but “decided to not pursue the party’s endorsement.” 

The Executive Committee is a smaller subgroup of the Central Committee. It’s typically made up of around 17 members. 

At the April 1 Executive Committee meeting, almost a month after the Primary Election, Whitsell told the committee that the endorsement of Hayes was only for the primary. She called for a new vote to endorse DeMaio for the General Election. 

“Historically, the party’s endorsement always remains with the candidate through the General Election, and the endorsement of Andrew Hayes was no different,” Bailey wrote in the email. “This action clearly violates party bylaws, the established process, past precedent and the previous endorsement vote of 2/3+ of Central Committee members.” 

Bailey confirmed he sent the email but would not comment. Whitsell did not respond to requests for comment. 

The vote to change the endorsement failed to pass, and the next morning, Whitsell sent an email to Scott Sherman, an Executive Committee member and former San Diego Councilmember, removing him from the Executive Committee because he didn’t support her motion, Sherman told Voice. 

“I was surprised to see that, because we vote on things all the time and not everyone gets the outcome they want, so it was surprising to see her take that step,” Sherman said. 

Party chairs have the power to appoint and remove Executive Committee members.  

There’s more: In his email, Bailey wrote about a separate, but related issue he found concerning.  

Bailey wrote that Matt Stockton, a member of the Central Committee, is the subject of an ethics complaint filed against him because he has allegedly been serving on the Central Committee representing a district he does not actually live in. 

Despite this, Whitsell appointed Stockton to the Executive Committee after Monday’s meeting. 

Stockton could not be reached for comment. 

Bailey also pointed out that Stockton’s alternate is DeMaio, meaning DeMaio can represent Stockton at Central Committee meetings in the event of his absence.  

Whitsell has now called for a special Executive Committee meeting to revisit the issue. 

“Now that Chairwoman Whitsell has changed the Executive Committee members, she is calling for a Special Executive Committee meeting [Thursday] to take place via Zoom (which is a violation of the bylaws) to consider her previously defeated motion again (which is another violation of the bylaws),” Bailey wrote in the email. 

He added that his problem is not with Hayes or DeMaio. He has “supported, endorsed, and donated to both candidates over the years,” he wrote. 

“This is about the rules that govern our party,” Bailey wrote in the email. “Rules that our chairwoman is ignoring/abusing to overturn the will of 2/3+ of the Republican Central Committee members to strip Andrew Hayes of the endorsement. It is wrong and it needs to stop.”