Republican Demands 'MAGA' Be Added to California Ballot

A California Republican candidate for Congress is demanding that the state add the term "MAGA Conservative" to the ballot ahead of the primary election.

Chris Mathys, a Republican candidate for California's 22nd Congressional District filed a lawsuit this month against California Secretary of State Shirley Weber for rejecting a request that the terms "MAGA Conservative" and "MAGA Conservative Republican" be added to the state's ballot as a designation for candidates like Mathys.

"I am looking forward to my day in court. My campaign believes that the best description of who I am and what I do is "MAGA Conservative," Mathys said in a statement obtained by Newsweek. "We believe that our request is on par with other terms used by candidates before us. The First Amendment guarantees freedom concerning expression and the right to petition."

Supporters of the MAGA, Make America Great Again, movement have continued to gain popularity. The slogan was coined by former President Donald Trump, and many of his staunch supporters, such as Republican Representatives Lauren Boebert, Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz, are seen as members of the movement.

In April, a poll conducted by NBC News found that 52 percent of Republicans said that they view the MAGA movement positively. However, among all respondents, only 24 percent viewed the MAGA movement as positive and 45 percent viewed it as negative.

According to a complaint viewed by Newsweek, Mathys first made the request to add the terms to the state's ballot in November, but it was denied by Weber, who explained state law in a letter.

"The designations 'MAGA Conservative Republican' and 'MAGA Conservative' do not constitute a current profession, vocation, or occupation," Weber said.

Shortly after the letter from Weber, Mathys filed a lawsuit saying that his self-identification as a "MAGA Conservative" and "MAGA Conservative Republican" should be left to voters and that "it is not different than the terms incumbent/businessman or legislator/attorney, those are also adjectives followed by a noun."

Mathys also said in the complaint that the denial by Weber is a violation of his First Amendment rights "when they unilaterally reject a candidate's description of who he or she is or how he or she describes themselves."

In response, Weber filed a court document reviewed by Newsweek saying that the terms that Mathys wants added are not allowed under California law.

One portion of the document stated that "the designation 'MAGA' is understood in the present context as an acronym for 'Make America Great Again' which is a trademarked campaign slogan...and is therefore prohibited as a ballot designation under California Code of Regulations section 20716(d)."

Mathys is running against incumbent Republican Representative David Valadao. State Senator Melissa Hurtado and former Assemblyman Rudy Salas, both Democrats, are also running. According to the statement obtained by Newsweek, Mathys is scheduled to appear in court for his lawsuit on Friday.

Newsweek reached out to Mathys and Weber's office via email for comment.