Cox condemns candidate’s mailer

Alicia Robinson

Rep. Chris Cox on Friday denounced as misleading a mailer from 70th

Assembly District candidate Cristi Cristich that includes selections

from a supportive letter Cox sent her. Not included is the

congressman’s explanation that he doesn’t endorse candidates in

Republican primary races.

The mailer Cristich’s campaign sent to some absentee voters this

week shows a photo of Cox and reads “‘Thank you,’ Cristi Cristich”

with Cox’s name underneath. The body of the mailer quotes a letter

from Cox to Cristich reading, “I want you to know how impressed I am

with your candidacy, and how much I look forward to working with you

as a State legislator.” The original letter had continued, “if you

are successful in March and, undoubtedly, in November.”

Cristich campaign manager Dave Gilliard said the mailer “clearly

doesn’t say [Cox] endorsed her.” He added that using excerpts of

letters like the one from Cox is a common practice in political

campaigns.

The original letter explains that Cox has “for 16 years followed a

tradition of not endorsing candidates for the Legislature in

contested Republican primaries.” An identical letter was sent to

Chuck DeVore, who also is running for the 70th District seat, Cox

said. Both candidates solicited Cox’s endorsement, and he wrote the

letter after a Cristich staffer asked for a letter to explain that he

wasn’t endorsing anyone, he said.

The mailer came to Cox’s attention when his office began receiving

calls about it, some of which were angry about what they thought was

an endorsement, Cox said.

“I don’t know whether this will have a material effect on the

campaign but clearly it was intended to,” he said.

“What was extended as a courtesy was completely abused.”

UC Irvine political science professor Mark Petracca said he’s not

sure if the publicity over the mailer will reflect badly on Cristich,

adding that it is odd that Cox went so far out of his way to deny he

endorsed her. Candidates often use pictures of themselves with

prominent people on campaign literature when the pictures were taken

in non-political circumstances, he said.

“People do what Cristi Cristich has done all the time,” he said.

Cox campaign chairman and legal counsel Robert J. Sutcliffe sent

Cristich a letter Friday condemning the mailer and explaining what

was in Cox’s original letter. Sutcliffe’s letter makes a formal

demand that Cristich send his letter to constituents within three

days to “repair the damage.”

Gilliard said if Cox wants him to send out Sutcliffe’s letter he

will, but he doesn’t feel the mailer is misleading.

“Basically we got a letter that we didn’t understand had any

restrictions on its use when we received it,” Gilliard said.

“We won’t use anything from the letter again.”

The mailer is similar to one Gilliard’s firm sent out for Cox when

he was running for Congress in 1988 that included comments from

Ronald Reagan, who also had a policy of not endorsing in primaries,

Gilliard said.

“It’s done all the time,” he said. “I could send you a hundred

examples if you wanted.”

* ALICIA ROBINSON covers business, politics and the environment.

She may be reached at (949) 764-4330 or by e-mail at

[email protected].