California Republican Mark Meuser campaigns for U.S. Senate seat, despite long odds
Mark Meuser, the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, called out his usual suspects Thursday at an appearance on the steps of the state Capitol: “special interests,” “lobbyists,” and “the unelected bureaucracy.”
The crowd of a dozen or so applauded.
Meuser, (pronounced MOY-SHER), a political and constitutional attorney from Pasadena, faces long odds next month. He’s running against Sen. Alex Padilla, the Democrat appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2021 to fill the unexpired term of Vice President Kamala Harris.
Padilla has raised significantly more money, over $11.1 million to Meuser’s roughly $834,000. The last Republican Californians sent to the Senate was Pete Wilson in 1988.
Meuser, 48, didn’t mention Padilla by name during his speech, but the two have faced off before. In 2018, they competed for California Secretary of State. Padilla won more than 64% of the vote.
Meuser works for the Dhillon Law Group, which has sued Newsom several times, including over pandemic restrictions and the use of public money to support undocumented immigrants. Its founder, Harmeet Dhillon, is the chair of the Republican National Lawyers Association. Politico reported last week that the firm will represent former President Donald Trump before the U.S. House of Representatives’ Jan. 6 select committee, which has subpoenaed him.
On his campaign website, Meuser said he had been involved in more than 20 lawsuits against Newsom “for his unconstitutional usurpation of power as a result of COVID-19.”
At the Capitol Thursday, he criticized COVID-19 mandates that he said deprived people of their life, their liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
“Please help me take my fight for your constitutional rights from the courthouse to the U.S. Capitol,” Meuser told his supporters.
In recent interviews, friends said Meuser’s pursuit of the Senate was consistent with his personality. He has sought out challenges as a student, attorney and athlete. He competes in grueling triathlons that combine swimming, biking and running for long distances.
“If he’s willing to run hard for a position like this, it’s because he really does care,” said Mark Bigger, a Bakersfield attorney who, like Meuser, went to the Oak Brook College of Law in Fresno. “He’s going to work hard to try and make that a reality.”
After the event in Sacramento, Meuser said he had stops in Stockton, San Francisco and Palo Alto later in the day. He said he only planned to sleep in his bed twice in the last few weeks of the campaign.
Before finishing up his comments, he told those in attendance there was a path for him to win. He pleaded with them to get out and vote.
“Whether you vote at the polls on Election Day, or whether you return your ballot, it is a duty, it is a responsibility as an American to take the time, educate yourself on who you’re going to support, and get out and vote,” he said. If they didn’t, he warned, “special interests, the lobbyists, are going to pick your legislators for you.”
This story was originally published October 28, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
