USC Assails Candidate for Use of Mascot

Republican congressional candidate Randy Hoffman has run afoul of Tommy Trojan.

Officials from USC ripped into Hoffman, a 1976 USC graduate, for misusing the Tommy Trojan logo in a campaign mailer recently sent to university alumni.

The two-page mailer, paid for by the Hoffman campaign, was sent from “USC Alumni for a Stronger America” based in Thousand Oaks and was signed by four Hoffman supporters. The letter urged alumni to support “a fellow Trojan for Congress.”

The letterhead sported an image of USC mascot Tommy Trojan and was printed in cardinal and gold, the school colors.

“It’s incredible what they did. It was totally wrong,” said Jane G. Pisano, USC senior vice president of external relations, who said misuse of the logo for political purposes has never occurred before. “The university never endorses candidates for political office, and would never authorize the use of the Tommy Trojan logo for this purpose.”

University officials not only demanded that Hoffman stop sending the mailer but insisted that he contact all those who received the letter and explain that USC has not endorsed him.

Todd Slosek, Hoffman’s campaign manager, said: “The letter was merely a group of alumni informing other USC alumni of their support for Randy and made no such inference” of USC’s endorsement. “Nonetheless, we will comply with USC’s request.”

Hoffman is running for the 24th Congressional District, which extends from Sherman Oaks to Thousand Oaks, against Democratic incumbent Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks.)

Sherman is a graduate of UCLA.