Tucker Carlson has become a prominent figure in the special election campaign for county supervisor, and it’s not because he’s something of a local celebrity.
The former Fox News commentator, who grew up in La Jolla, is pictured in mailers attacking candidate Amy Reichert that also promote Monica Montgomery Steppe.
Reichert, a Republican, already faced a tough challenge in the most Democratic of the county’s five supervisorial districts, where voters for weeks have been casting ballots for Tuesday’s election. Being tied to Carlson, along with other conservatives Democrats love to hate, doesn’t make anything easier for her.
“Her campaign is funded by the same people who have given thousands of dollars to Donald Trump,” said one mailer supporting Montgomery Steppe, a Democratic San Diego City Council member.
Then there’s the matter of abortion rights, which Montgomery Steppe stresses she supports.
“Amy opposes access to reproductive health services and celebrated the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, calling it ‘a win,’” continues the mailer, which notes the Planned Parenthood Action Fund has endorsed Montgomery Steppe.
Reichert disputes the abortion-related claims. In a recent interview, she maintained she never said she would act to block reproductive health care for women and that her comment that the court ruling was “a win” was taken out of context.
But she equivocated when asked if she supported the ruling. “I didn’t even have an opinion on Roe v. Wade on whether it was a federal issue,” she said.
She said she would have voted against a Board of Supervisors resolution declaring San Diego a “champion of reproductive freedom,” according to the Times of San Diego.
“Why can’t we have a resolution that’s pro-adoption?” she asked.
For Reichert, abortion is a personal issue. She openly talks about how she had one at the age of 15. Adopted as a child, she said she eventually contacted her birth mother, who she said told her she would have aborted her if abortion had been legal at the time.
Reichert told the Union-Tribune months ago that if overturning Roe v. Wade “results in more babies like myself who were written off and told we should never have been born. . . then, yes, today is a win.”
But that nuanced perspective and her contention that her views are being misconstrued are being overwhelmed by an onslaught from the Montgomery Steppe camp.
Organized labor has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in the runoff campaign for the council member and against Reichert, a leader of ReOpen San Diego, which opposed school and business closures and COVID vaccine mandates during the cornonavirus pandemic.
That mirrors union efforts during the August primary in which Montgomery Steppe backers helped knocked out a top competitor, Democrat Janessa Goldbeck, a veterans advocate. Both candidates were angling to face Reichert, the perceived weaker opponent, in the November runoff.
Some labor money in the primary even went into positive flyers boosting Reichert. Montgomery Steppe finished first, 13 points ahead of Reinhert. As expected, Democrats have since coalesced around the front-runner.
So, essentially, we are here by design.
The District 4 seat opened up in the spring with the resignation of Nathan Fletcher, who had been accused in a lawsuit of sexual misconduct. A Montgomery Steppe victory would restore the Democrats’ 3-2 majority on the board.
Reichert mentions she is not backed by “special interest money,” suggesting that would make her a more independent supervisor. But the lack of broader financial support makes her less competitive, especially in a race in which she needs to win over a substantial number of Democratic voters.
There are more than double the number of registered Democrats than Republicans in the district, which stretches from North Clairemont to Rancho San Diego. Voters who declare “no party preference” also significantly outdistance the number of Republicans.
One of the first things Reichert says is that this is a nonpartisan race. Officially, that’s true. Candidates are not listed by party affiliation on the ballot. But the reality is that partisan dynamics play a significant — often decisive — role in local San Diego nonpartisan elections.
Reichert believes she has made headway with voters across the spectrum by focusing on quality-of-life issues, especially homelessness, cost of living and public safety.
The two candidates have had spirited exchanges on those and other issues, including the lack of affordable housing, at several forums.
Reichert has suggested Montgomery Steppe’s support for law enforcement is lacking.
“Unlike her opponent, Amy is against the ‘Defund the Police’ movement and will work to protect San Diegans and local law enforcement. . .” says Reichert’s website.
Montgomery Steppe has not said she supports defunding police, but she has pushed for several changes and more accountability in police practices. She has supported consecutive city budgets, including the funding proposed for the San Diego Police Department.
The San Diego Police Officers Association waged an ugly mail primary campaign against Montgomery Steppe, attempting to depict her as soft on crime and distorting her record. At the time, the POA promoted Goldbeck.
This time around the union endorsed Reichert, but has made no independent expenditures on her behalf, according to the county Registrar of Voters website.
Regardless, like any candidate, Reichert wants to talk about her issues, but she knew early on she would be dealing with much more.
At a candidate forum last month, Reichert objected to a Montgomery Steppe fundraising email in August that called her opponent “a right-wing, science-denying extremist” who spreads “delusional conspiracy theories.”
Montgomery Steppe didn’t back down and said Reichert has been seen with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Sen. Ted Cruz and Carlson. “In my opinion, that is right-wing extremism,” she said.
Mailers for Motgomery Steppe hammer home that theme. “Do you want a county supervisor that stands with Planned Parenthood and protecting reproductive rights or Tucker Carlson and MAGA extreme Republicans?” says one.
There are two photos of Carlson. One appeared to be from a high-profile event with many religious conservatives held by the Awaken Church in San Marcos in April 2022, where Carlson is standing with Reichert, his arm around her shoulder.
In our interview, Reichert suggested that too much political hay is being made out of the photo and suggested there could be a backlash.
“I think it’s a problem for my opponent,” she said.
That may be wishful thinking.
