Republican Congressional candidate Carl DeMaio’s new ad looks like most campaign ads — cliched shots of diverse happy voters, American flags, and the local California landscape paired with inspiring music and generic slogans about a “problem solver” who “isn’t afraid to be different.”
That is, with one big exception. Toward the end of the ad, DeMaio’s is seen holding hands with his male partner in one shot and waving a rainbow flag in another. While DeMaio is not the first openly gay Republican to run for Congress, nor would he be the first to serve in office if elected, the ad appears to be a new milestone.
“This is who I am,” DeMaio told the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the ad, in an interview. “It’s something that’s important to me. I want to embrace equality, and feel like the party should, too.”
DeMaio, who is challenging Democratic incumbent Scott Peters, is not a fringe candidate. He was the party’s nominee for San Diego mayor in 2012, losing narrowly to Democrat Bob Filner, who later resigned over allegations that he sexual harassed multiple women.
The National Republican Congressional Committee has touted DeMaio as a promising recruit in memos and House GOP leaders, including Majority Leader Eric Cantor and Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy, have donated to his campaign.









