Spanish-Language Ad Ties California Republican to Trump
May 17, 2016
By Simone Pathe
Two House Democratic groups are stepping into a California race just weeks before the June 7 top-two primary to make the case that the Republican, an immigrant from Lebanon, is no different from Donald Trump.
House Majority PAC, an outside group that supports Democrats running for the House, and CHC Bold PAC, the “voice for Latinos in American politics,” are going up with a $300,000 media campaign Tuesday in support of Democrat Salud Carbajal and against Republican Katcho Achadjian in the 24th District.
Carbajal, a Santa Barbara County supervisor, was born in Mexico. His family moved to Arizona when he was young so his father could work in a copper mine.
Achadjian, a GOP state assemblyman, emigrated from Lebanon and operated a chain of gas stations in San Luis Obispo. He has said he will support Trump as the nominee.
“It will be challenging times, but I will be happy to work with him. I’ll teach him better,” Achadjian said at a debate earlier this month.
The Democratic buy includes two TV ads. The Spanish-language ad, “Familias,” will run in Santa Barbara during the 2016 Centennial Copa America soccer tournament.
“Donald Trump and Katcho Achadjian … two faces of the anti-immigration movement,” the ad begins.
“Katcho Achadjian blamed California’s budget deficit on undocumented immigrants.
“He said he would ‘ship them all out and make sure they can’t come back.’ Sound familiar?”
A second spot , which will air in English on broadcast and cable in Santa Barbara, attacks Achadjian’s record on abortion.
The district became an open seat when Democratic Rep. Lois Capps announced last year that she would not seek re-election in 2016. The Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report/Roll Call rates the seat Safe Democrat .
In California’s jungle primary, the top two vote-getters, regardless of party, advance to the general election. Nine candidates are running for this seat. Republicans came close to capturing this seat last cycle, and high GOP turnout could put a Republican in one of those top two spots.