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Carl DeMaio today announced the first wave of endorsements for the 2024 Reform California Voter Guide — including support for 35 “priority” candidates and opposition to 3 statewide ballot initiatives being backed by Governor Gavin Newsom.
“California’s Super-Majority Democrats have ruined our state, and we need to unite behind the one best candidate in each target seat who can give voters an alternative — and that’s where the Reform California Voter Guide comes in,” says Carl DeMaio, Chairman of Reform California.
The Reform California Voter Guide is non-partisan, but scores every candidate based on four issues: 1) opposition to tax hikes 2) crime 3) parental empowerment and school reform and 4) homelessness. The goal is to unite the “change” vote in each district behind the best, most viable candidate running against the far-Left incumbent politician.
In addition to candidate endorsements the guide provides voters with a “plain english” description of every ballot measure — a feature that has proven quite popular with Democrats, Independents, and Republicans alike as they have grown frustrated with false and misleading ballot titles being placed on measures and are seeking simple descriptions on what they are voting on.
Reform California’s Voter Guide has packed a punch in previous elections — and has become the most downloaded endorsement guide in the entire state with almost half-a-million unique downloads during the 2022 election alone.
“Voters from all backgrounds know the problems are bad in California and they are hungry for change — and we’re excited that many are increasingly relying on this voter guide when they cast their ballots,” DeMaio says.
Reform California’s Voter Guide is distributed to target voters in a number of ways each election cycle — including by tens of thousands of the organization’s volunteers who canvass their neighborhoods and use their social media to virally promote it.
Reform California also convenes ballot harvesting events throughout the state — and provides its volunteers with a template for organizing their own ballot harvesting parties. The Reform California Voter Guide is distributed at what is called “Barbeque, Beer & Ballots” events.
A Need for More Candidates in Open Seats
Because California moved up its primary election from June to March of 2024, the window for candidates to file for office will open in the next few weeks with a drop-dead cutoff of early December.
While endorsements have been made in 35 seats, Reform California is urgently calling on anyone interested in running in the remaining seats where a candidate has not yet been endorsed.
DeMaio pointed to a list of “Toss-Up” Seats that Reform California published at the beginning of this year that he says are definitely winnable with the right kind of candidates. For a list of those seats, read HERE.
Reform California offers candidate training and encourages those interested in running for office for seats not endorsed to contact info@reformcalifornia.org.
The List of 35 Wave 1 Candidate Endorsements
The first round of target seat endorsements by Reform California includes 15 congressional seats and 20 state legislative seats statewide. On top of those 35 seats, DeMaio and Reform California are compiling a list of local target seats (county boards, city councils, school boards, etc.) that could be flipped in each county.
US CONGRESS – 15 Selected
State Senate – 3 Selected
State Assembly – 17 Selected
DeMaio said winning most or all of these 35 target seats would represent a “milestone” in shifting political dynamics in California.
“Winning the congressional seats would help ensure that Democrats continue in the House Minority,” said DeMaio. “For the State Senate and State Assembly, winning our target seats will allow us to be relevant again in Sacramento and stop extreme Democrat policies,” explained DeMaio.
“The only thing limiting us right now is lack of resources — so we’re urging all concerned Californians to join us in fighting for these 35 target seats by contributing whatever they can today to the campaign,” DeMaio concluded.
