Ammar Campa-Najjar, a Democrat candidate who was running for congress in Rep. Duncan Hunter’s district, speaks to reporters outside the Federal Courthouse in San Diego, California, on Dec. 3, 2019. (Sandy Huffaker / Getty Images)
By Michael Austin April 6, 2026 at 6:00am
A Democratic candidate for Congress is taking heat for allegedly exaggerating his military record while running for office.
Ammar Campa-Najjar — who is campaigning to represent a district east of San Diego — is the boyfriend of California Democratic Rep. Sara Jacobs, who is also the heiress of the fortune behind technology company Qualcomm.
Campa-Najjar has been a U.S. Navy Reserve officer since 2023, but his campaign materials called him a “Navy Officer,” according to a report from the New York Post.
The Navy nevertheless has policies making clear that candidates for office cannot exaggerate their service, including their service in the Navy Reserve.
Campa-Najjar also took heat for apparently using photos at the Massachusetts National Cemetery for campaign purposes.
He was photographed in front of the grave for Richard K. Stephenson, a veteran of the Korean War who passed away in 1997.
Campa-Najjar’s campaign confirmed to the New York Post that the candidate has no connection to Stephenson.
The candidate was “participating in an official Memorial Day event where he, alongside his unit, honored fallen service members.”
“At no point did the campaign engage in political activity at a VA cemetery, and any suggestion otherwise is a misrepresentation of both the facts and the applicable rules,” Andi McNew, his campaign manager, told the outlet.
“Ammar has been compliant with (Department of Defense) directives on permissible political activity,” McNew also said.
“The Navy has not requested any changes be made.”
KPBS reported on March 27 that the U.S. Navy is “looking into the matter” of whether Campa-Najjar broke the rules by exaggerating his service.
Pentagon directives say that reservists “must clearly indicate their retired or reserve status” when running for office.
They are not allowed to show pictures of themselves in uniform alongside biographical details unrelated to the military unless there is “a prominent and clearly displayed disclaimer that neither the military information nor photographs imply endorsement by the Department of Defense or their particular Military Department.”
Campa-Najjar’s campaign website indeed prominently features pictures of him in uniform.
The website was updated to say “Navy Reserve officer” instead of “Navy Officer,” according to KPBS.
In another statement, his occupation was changed from “U.S. Navy Officer” and “College Educator” to “U.S. Navy Reserve Officer/College Educator.”
Michael wrote for several entertainment news outlets before joining The Western Journal in 2020. He now serves as Managing Editor, which involves managing the editorial team and operations; guiding the editorial direction of The Western Journal; and writing, editing, curating and assigning stories as needed.
Birthplace
Ames, Iowa
Nationality
American
Education
Iowa State University
Topics of Expertise
Cultural Politics, Entertainment News, Christian-Conservatism
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