Candidate Lets His Fist Do the Talking

A spirited debate may have been what members of a Republican women’s club in this San Diego County community expected when they sponsored a forum Wednesday between combative Assembly candidates Jay Martin and Tom DuBose.

What they got, however, was a brief demonstration of fisticuffs, as an exasperated Martin let his right hook do the talking.

According to witnesses, Martin, 30, stormed across the podium and punched DuBose, 54, in the shoulder, after DuBose disputed accusations Martin had made in a campaign mailer. A brief fracas ensued, during which Martin’s mother, Ella, yelled loudly and waved her cane menacingly at members of DuBose’s campaign staff.

“Jay just got hot--he got real hot--and his mother got hot,” said Jamie Walter, who was sent by state Republican Party officials to manage the DuBose campaign. “He took a swing at Tom, and there was yelling and screaming. . . . Jay’s mother was in there with her cane fixing to hit somebody.”

One More Round

No one was injured and police were not called, so the incident will go down as just one more round in the bitter contest.

Martin, who is battling DuBose in the June 3 Republican primary for the chance to challenge Democratic incumbent Steve Peace of Chula Vista in the 80th District, was unavailable for comment. However, Ella Martin, her son’s campaign treasurer, said he only lunged at DuBose after DuBose told her to “sit down and shut up.”

“Jay grabbed for him, and I took my cane and stopped him from hitting Mr. DuBose,” Ella Martin said.

However, June Brines, president of Chula Vista Republican Women Federated, said the Martins started the ruckus when DuBose told the audience that he had been smeared by Martin campaign lite1918989429has charged that DuBose lied about his military service, even after DuBose showed him a copy of his honorable discharge papers, Brines said.