“You’re MAGA!” “No, you’re MAGA!” That seems to be the message of competing mailers from committees backing Carl DeMaio and Andrew Hayes running in the 75th Assembly District. That may seem odd, because the two Republicans advanced to the general election by largely appealing to conservative voters in the primary election, suggesting they are devotees of former President Donald Trump’s campaign theme of “Make America Great Again.” Both showcased their endorsements of Trump before the March vote — something they aren’t doing in the current mailers. The hard political calculation is that in the general election both candidates may need Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters to win the district, which includes some of inland North County and a large swath of East County. Republicans dominate voter registration, but in addition to a substantial bloc of Democrats, the district includes suburban neighborhoods that, even if Republican, tend to be on the moderate side. The main approach to attracting those voters by both candidates appears to be launching materials targeted for Democratic households that accuse the other guy of being a right-wing extremist. Abortion has become a central theme in the campaign, mostly thanks to DeMaio, a radio talk-show host and former San Diego City Council member. Mailers from his camp have repeatedly hammered Hayes, a Lakeside school board member, for his opposition to abortion. Meanwhile, a mailer from a committee supporting DeMaio calls him “pro-choice” on abortion. That wasn’t his position the last time he ran for office. In 2020, DeMaio ran for Congress in a more conservative East County district against former longtime congressman Darrell Issa, among other candidates. Issa went on to win. “I’m opposed to abortion & am only viable Republican candidate that supports the Hyde Amendment to bar taxpayer funding from going to Planned Parenthood (or any other organization) for abortions. I also support Heartbeat Bill,” he said during the primary campaign on X, formerly Twitter. He said Issa “wants to fund abortions” and attached a video of Issa telling an audience that “Planned Parenthood and other groups will continue to be funded, and I will make sure of that.” Over the years, Issa has voted against numerous abortion-access and reproductive rights funding bills in Congress — including banning federal health care coverage that funds abortions. He received an A+ rating from the Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America organization. DeMaio took the opposite stance in 2014 when he ran for Congress against Democratic incumbent Scott Peters in a purple San Diego coastal district. In fact, his current campaign mailer cites a 2014 article by The Atlantic that says DeMaio is in sync with Democrats on abortion and other issues. ABC News ran a similar story that year. In three consecutive campaigns, DeMaio appears to have come full circle on abortion. Regardless of where he stands on abortion, DeMaio has been hitting Hayes hard on the issue, and others, in mailers and door hangers. Most include only slight variations of the same themes and call Hayes a “MAGA extremist.” “Say no to hate. MAGA extremist on YOUR BALLOT!” says one DeMaio mailer. “Andrew Hayes vows to ban gay marriage, ban books and out gay students.” “Andrew Hayes also pledges to outlaw ALL abortion!” The other side of the mailer says “Carl DeMaio is openly gay, supports marriage equality, and is pro-choice.” Such a statement did not appear to be found in DeMaio’s primary election campaign materials, or certainly wasn’t emphasized when he and Hayes were focused mostly on Republican voters. A recent mailer from a committee supporting Hayes that went to Democrats doesn’t address abortion (for the obvious reason: he’s opposed), but it says a lot of other things about DeMaio. It leads with the headline “IMPORTANT NOTICE TO DEMOCRATIC VOTERS,” though it is not an official piece from the local Democratic Party (the DeMaio camp did something similar in one of its mailers). The pro-Hayes flyer notes that two Republicans are running for the Assembly, then issues warnings about “MAGA Republican Carl DeMaio.” “DeMaio called Kamala Harris ‘inept,’ ‘worse than the village idiot,’ and only given her position ‘based on her gender, based on her skin color.’” “On the San Diego City Council, DeMaio voted to strip death and disability benefits from families of fallen firefighters and police.” The piece makes a rather goofy attempt at superimposing a red MAGA hat on a black-and-white photo of DeMaio. The other side of the mailer says “local Democrats, firefighters and working families support Hayes.” There’s some truth to that, though much of that backing is based on a loathing of DeMaio by unions. The committee behind the mailer was funded by the California Professional Firefighters, the California Apartment Association and the California Association of Realtors. Some law enforcement groups also have campaigned for Hayes, and other unions have worked to defeat DeMaio. The mailer says Hayes has a “track record of working across the aisle to deliver results,” adding that he has supported funding for mental health counseling, suicide prevention and anti-bullying programs for students. The mailer also says Hayes has supported raising wages, providing family and maternity leave, and “expanding health insurance for local workers.” The mailer urges voters to pick someone “who shares our California values” — suggesting that would be Hayes, of course. A different mailer from Hayes’ own campaign touts backing, though not endorsements, from Democrats and labor officials, including San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, Rep. Scott Peters and Lorena Gonzalez, head of the California Labor Federation. The piece says he supports “women’s rights” and seeks to “ensure access to health care they deserve” — a rather outrageous claim from somebody who advocates such strict limits on reproductive rights. The mailer also contends he supports “curriculum that emphasizes environmental justice” and unions, at least those that endorse him. There’s no small irony here. One of two conservative Republicans will win an Assembly seat while promoting Democratic priorities — and trashing Trump’s political ethos.