Democratic candidates are turning their fire at each other in a crowded primary to flip a must-win seat in Southern California.
Ammar Campa-Najjar and Vista City Councilmember Corinna Contreras are going after San Diego City Councilmember Marni von Wilpert for a polling memo they say included racist lines of attack.
That polling had von Wilpert initially trailing Campa-Najjar but gaining support when voters were read attacks knocking Campa-Najjar, for running “three campaigns from four different addresses under two different names.”
“I will never apologize for my name or my heritage,” said Campa-Najjar, who has talked about changing his last name to honor his mother. And Contreras slammed the “racist attacks” as “disgraceful.”
Dan Rottenstreich, a von Wilpert campaign consultant, said in a statement Campa-Najjar “has a long, established pattern of changing who he is depending on the campaign — his politics, his district, his stances on abortion and Trump, even his name.”
Democrats are hoping to flip the district after it became bluer in redistricting and incumbent GOP Rep. Darrell Issa opted to retire.
It’s not the first time a campaign note has roiled the race either, with Punchbowl News reporting von Wilpert earlier criticized Campa-Najjar for “divisive, hateful rhetoric” related to the LGBTQ+ community.