Dems to face off in Calif. nomination fights

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Thousands of California Democrats headed for San Diego for their party convention, as Democrats battle for the party’s coveted endorsements in a state that’s considered crucial for Democratic midterm hopes.

About 3,400 delegates are attending the annual gathering that runs Friday to Sunday and is themed around the idea of the state as a “Big Blue Beacon of Hope.”

In an interview with The Hill, California Democratic Party chairman Eric Bauman touted the idea that Democrats’ electoral success in California could serve as a roadmap for Democrats in November.

“I think we have to promote our positive Democratic ideas and ideals, but the one thing we have credibility to do here in California is prove that with progressive leadership and progressive governance, we can be successful,” Bauman said.

{mosads}Endorsements for the high-profile U.S. Senate race, as well as other prominent statewide offices like governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general, will be decided Saturday night.

Candidates will need to garner 60 percent of delegate votes in order to receive the state party’s endorsement. But with crowded primaries in many of the state’s contests, it’s likely that some candidates won’t be able to meet that threshold.

Endorsements allow the state party to direct resources toward the Democratic nominees, giving the chosen candidate momentum going into the June 5 primaries. California has a top-two primary system where candidates run regardless of party affiliation and the top two finishers advance to the general election.

The fight for the endorsement “is an amazing sight to watch because a candidate … can personally call every single delegate,” Bauman said, noting that delegates have been inundated with emails, texts, calls and mailers seeking their votes for endorsements.

“People take that endorsement very seriously here in California, so that’ll be a key part of the excitement of our weekend,” he continued.

The spotlight will be on longtime Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), as she looks to hang onto her seat for another term amid a backlash from progressives.

Feinstein’s main opponent is state Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León (D), who’s been boosted by progressives and recently nabbed major union endorsements ahead of the convention.

Still, it will be an uphill battle to topple Feinstein. De León significantly trails Feinstein in both fundraising and in primary polls.

But progressives have accused Feinstein, who’s served in the Senate for 25 years, of not going far enough to hold President Trump accountable. And they’ll be looking to help deliver the endorsement to de León — or at the very least block Feinstein from winning the nomination.

Feinstein is holding a breakfast event Saturday morning, and both her and de León will address the convention that afternoon. The two will be courting delegates throughout the weekend in the lead-up to the endorsement.

There will also be a number of endorsing caucuses late Saturday afternoon for some of the top House races Democrats consider crucial to retaking the House. The party needs 24 seats nationwide to take back control of the House.

Those caucuses will be held in the primaries for the seats currently held by GOP Reps. Dana Rohrabacher, Mimi Walters and Darrell Issa, who is retiring at the end of his term in 2018. Those three seats are high priorities for Democrats, since Hillary Clinton carried all three districts in the 2016 presidential contest.

Some Democrats are worried that crowded candidate lists will hinder their candidates and potentially block any Democrats from advancing out of the primary and into the November election.

The convention speaker’s list also includes some future 2020 presidential candidate.

The lineup features Sens. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), billionaire mega-donor Tom Steyer and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, all of whom have been considered possible candidates to take on Trump.

Others notable speakers include House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), six other members of California’s congressional delegation, a handful of state lawmakers and other party activists and organizers.

Trump and his agenda are expected to be a prominent focus at the convention.

Steyer has been leading a multimillion-dollar ad campaign calling on members of Congress to support Trump’s impeachment. And Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) has been an outspoken critic on Capitol Hill who called for Trump’s impeachment after reports that he called several nations “shithole countries.”

Bauman stressed the importance of making significant strides in California when it comes to 2018 as a way to ultimately block Trump from implementing his agenda over the next two years.

“Unless we can deliver House seats in significant numbers to the Democratic conference, there’s no possibility of regaining control of the House and if we don’t regain control of the House, there’s no possibility of putting the brakes on Donald Trump’s dangerous and divisive agenda,” he said.