California GOP candidate arrested on stalking charges

A Republican running to unseat Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) after his unsuccessful bid against the congresswoman last year was arrested in San Francisco over the weekend.

A spokesperson for the San Francisco Police Department told The Hill that Omar Navarro, 30, was arrested early Sunday on charges of extortion, criminal threats, stalking and violation of a restraining order.

Officers arrested Navarro at around 2 a.m. on Sunday after receiving a report of a restraining order violation, according to police.

“Officers arrived on scene and located a subject later identified as 30-year-old Omar Navarro of Torrance,” the spokesperson said. “Officers confirmed the restraining order.” 

The Daily Beast was the first to report on the arrest.

Police were reportedly called by conservative commentator DeAnna Lorraine Tesoriero, another Republican congressional candidate in California who is running against Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

Tesoriero, who has been identified in multiple reports as Navarro’s ex-girlfriend, told The Daily Beast that she alerted authorities after finding Navarro near her home.

The police department spokesperson declined to discuss who called about Navarro, telling The Hill that it is unable to discuss specifics on restraining orders.

Tesoriero’s and Navarro’s campaigns did not respond to a request for comment. The California Republican Party declined to comment on the arrest.

In an interview with The Daily Beast, Tesoriero claimed Navarro violated a restraining order she recently received against him after he allegedly sent text messages harassing her.

Navarro pushed back against Tesoriero’s allegations in an interview with the outlet while acknowledging that he had been near Tesoriero’s residence late Saturday.

“Men in this country get treated unjustly, too, you have to acknowledge that,” he told the publication. “Just because a woman says something doesn’t mean it’s true.”

“Obviously she’s not honoring the 11th Commandment from Ronald Reagan,” he added, referring to a phrase former President Reagan sometimes used, which was, “Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican.”

—Updated Wednesday at 3:47 p.m.