'He's everywhere': This California Republican wants to make his party relevant again

ROSEVILLE, Calif. — San Diego County Republican Carl DeMaio had a warning for conservatives at a get-out-the-vote rally this month in Placer County. “You are doomed,” DeMaio said, crooning the phrase like a foghorn. The audience chuckled. “Doomed” is DeMaio’s description for races that lack a conservative candidate. Skip voting in those, he told the crowd, briskly walking them through the Nov. 3 ballot. Rep. Carl DeMaio speaks to attendees during a “Beer, BBQ & Ballots” event for Proposition 39 at the Nevada County Fairgrounds. (Fred Greaves / For The Times) Microphone in hand, the freshman state legislator paced the floor, threw up his hands and scowled as he declared California a “communist state,” the progressive Bay Area “the gates of hell” and Hillary Clinton “the wicked witch.” Urging volunteers to door-knock at Republican households, he instructed them to ignore Democratic homes entirely. “I don’t need to remind them there’s an election going on,” he said, prompting more laughs. DeMaio, 52, is emerging as a prominent voice for California Republicans, promising a path back to power and delighting audiences with his sharp takedowns of Democrats.