SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A local congressional candidate says he's being targeted by vandals this election season.
"I believe the political climate is much more heated than it's ever been," Stephen Houlahan said.
Houlahan is running as a Democrat to represent California's 48th District.
He's up against Republican Darrell Issa.
"It seems like there has been a concerted effort to suppress my freedom of speech by stealing, removing, and vandalizing my campaign signs," Houlahan said.
Houlahan is not a political newcomer.
He's a former Santee city council member and ran for mayor of the city in 2020.
He said while it's not uncommon for signs to be removed or vandalized during elections, it is becoming more constant.
"These ones more recently are much more malicious," he said.
Houlahan, who's a registered nurse, is campaigning as a pro-choice supporter.
Last week, someone spray-painted the word "life" on his banner in Santee.
Another banner was slashed and more than a dozen signs have been removed.
"In my campaign for Congress, I've had human feces smeared on my truck," Houlahan said. "I've been threatened by hate groups and so all of this is unacceptable but it's a reality in the political climate we live in."
This comes as elected officials are becoming more susceptible to politically motivated harassment.
This past Friday, a man allegedly broke into House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's home and attacked her husband.
"When that happened, immediately my family was very concerned... concerned about me but also concerned about their own safety," Houlahan said.
However, Houlahan said he's not backing down to represent his community.
"It's unsavory but it's definitely not going to stop me from running and completing my task," he said.
There's no evidence to suggest Issa has anything to do with Houlahan's signs being vandalized.
However, ABC 10News did reach out to Issa and his team for comment on this story.
We have not heard back.
