DeMaio’s Congressional Bid

Carl DeMaio’s Congressional campaign website…

http://www.carldemaio.com/

UT San Diego: DeMaio launching bid for Congress…

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/may/29/demaio-52nddistrict-peters/

Some of the Twitter coverage/reaction…

https://twitter.com/search?q=Carl%20DeMaio&src=typd

DeMaio press release…

For Immediate Release: Thursday, May 30, 2013

San Diego – Carl DeMaio made it official today: He’s running for US Congress. The businessman-turned-government reformer said he is frustrated with partisan bickering in Washington and intends to replicate the same approach to “reform” that worked well in San Diego.

“Just as we did to save the City of San Diego from bankruptcy, we need a national Reform Agenda to balance the budget and get people back to work,” DeMaio declared in announcing his candidacy.

Known for releasing detailed policy plans and taking on special interests in both political parties to get his reforms implemented, DeMaio said his national reform agenda would focus on four priorities:

• Balance the Budget: As a budget expert, DeMaio will outline cost savings to help balance the federal budget – and champion pension reform legislation to help fix state and local budgets.

• Make Government Work: Having built a company that specialized in implementing management reforms to improve the performance of government programs, DeMaio will offer solutions to fix long-troubled programs covering important areas such as veterans benefits, teacher performance incentives, and health care affordability.

• Revitalize the Economy: From advancing real tax reform to cutting costly red tape, DeMaio will fight to promote investment, help small businesses, and expand job training programs.

• Fix Congress First: To impose accountability and transparency on the political process like we’ve never seen before, DeMaio will propose a law to force Congress to live under the same laws it expects the rest of us to live under.

“If we want better results from Washington, we have to change the people we send there and impose new rules to govern the way they operate. That’s what my reform agenda is all about – making government work again for the people,” DeMaio said.

DeMaio’s candidacy has already attracted national attention, with Washington observers pointing to DeMaio’s success in getting reforms done in San Diego on a bipartisan basis and acknowledging the role DeMaio can play as an openly-gay and socially moderate voice within the Republican Party.

“I see myself as a ‘new generation Republican’ who wants to challenge the party to focus on pocket-book, economic and quality of life issues in a more positive and inclusive way, rather than issues that are frankly none of the government’s business in the first place,” DeMaio said.

DeMaio carried the 52nd District with 58% of the vote in 2012 and a recent poll shows him 10-points ahead of Scott Peters.

For his part, Peters responded to DeMaio’s candidacy by issuing the first negative attack of the campaign.

“Throwing around misplaced labels and resorting to nasty attacks just demonstrate Mr. Peters fits right into the failed divisive culture of Washington,” DeMaio responded.