Chamber makes rare endorsement for freshman House Democrat

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is endorsing Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.), a potentially big boost for the freshman congressman against former San Diego Councilman Carl DeMaio (R).

{mosads}”We believe that your re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives will help produce sustained economic growth, help create jobs, and get our country back on track,” Chamber President Tom Donohue wrote in a letter to Peters shared with reporters. “We will encourage the business community to vigorously support your candidacy.”

The Chamber has backed very few Democrats in recent years, and its endorsement helps Peters make the argument that he’s a business-friendly consensus-builder. He has trumpeted his work across the aisle and has voted with Republicans on a few top issues, including some reforms to ObamaCare and the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform law. He also has the backing of a number of local Chamber heads, some of them Republicans.

Peters and DeMaio, who is openly gay, are fighting a pitched battle for San Diego’s swing seat. The race between the two is increasingly coming down to an argument over personal temperament as much as the issues, with Peters looking to show he’s the true moderate in the race and the hard-charging DeMaio arguing he’s the only one who can shake up Congress. For a full analysis of the race, click here.

—This post was updated at 10:10 a.m.