Candidate apologizes for mailer

Alicia Robinson

Sorry apparently wasn’t the hardest word for Republican 70th Assembly

District candidate Cristi Cristich, who apologized to Rep. Chris Cox

for a campaign mailer that he said implied an endorsement he hadn’t

given her.

Cristich apologized for the mailer, which showed a photo of Cox

and included selections from a letter of support the congressman

wrote her. In the letter, Cox wrote that he doesn’t give endorsements

in GOP primaries, but the mailer didn’t include that portion. Cox

sent the same letter to Cristich opponent Chuck DeVore. Both

candidates sought the congressman’s endorsement.

A statement from Cox’s congressional campaign on Wednesday said

that Cox accepted an apology from Cristich and considers the matter

closed because she agreed to send a correction to all the voters who

received the mailer.

“Restoring integrity and fair dealing to the campaign debate is

the right thing to do,” Cox said in the statement. “The voters are

well served by this, and the political process is the better for it.”

Cristich campaign manager Dave Gilliard said a correction letter

would be mailed to 70th District voters on Wednesday or Thursday. He

declined to provide a copy of the letter before it was mailed.

What’s in the letter is a product of the discussions between

Cristich and the congressman’s office, he said.

Gilliard said that all parties consider the matter closed and that

he doesn’t expect the incident to affect Cristich’s campaign.