State Sen. Ted Lieu of Torrance has won the Democratic Party endorsement in his race for Congress, a seal-of-approval that could give him a boost in June’s primary election.
Or will it? Or will Democrats find themselves divided along a number of issues, which the mainstream media insists on ignoring, while playing up the divisions now actually fading away among the Republican Party?
In the quest to succeed Democratic veteran Henry Waxman in Congress, Lieu earned the nod over former Los Angeles City Controller Wendy Greuel and former Bill Clinton administration official and radio host Matt Miller. Lieu was the choice of Democratic activists within the district who met during the weekend at the California Democrats State Convention.
Lieu currently represented state senate district 26, which includes 80% of the 33rd Congressional district. He is a nice fit, to the extent that he has vetted voters and worked with city leaders up and down the district. But with all the other Democrats running for a seat, plus the division between South Bay Democrats and West Los Angeles liberals, the vote could be split inconveniently, and in favor of a conservative.
“This is a huge deal,” Lieu said. “It shows that I have the backing of the Democratic Party and this is in a congressional district that is heavily Democratic. It also shows that I have the support of the grass-roots Democrats.”
No it does not. No matter what a politician says about his support, there is no certainty that grassroots voters will get behind a state senator who has passed laws regulating all kinds of issues, while trying to triple our car tax.
How much the endorsement affects the race remains to be seen. Lieu immediately will be able to start advertising that he has the party endorsement. The party could also spend money on his behalf, but that is a decision that will be made later, a Democratic Party spokesman said.
Sumers' statement is accurate. Plus the fact the Wendy Greuel's campaign can argue that the Democratic reps voting for Lieu are focused primarily on their own interests, while ignoring the outreach from the former mayoral candidate.
“Campaigns and candidates have fought fiercely for the party’s endorsement,” party spokesman Tenoch Flores said. “The party’s endorsement is something that matters to rank-and-file Democrats throughout California.”
Sean Clegg, a Greuel strategist, said the campaign fought for the endorsement but will be fine without it. He said that Greuel already has strong name identification among Democrats because of her 2013 run for Los Angeles mayor. Clegg said an internal campaign poll conducted in February among likely voters put Greuel up by 13 points with Democrats against Lieu. Clegg also noted that Greuel has been endorsed by two prominent Democrats holding statewide offices — Attorney General Kamala Harris and Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom.
The division between local Democratic leaders vs. statewide Democratic representatives is interesting. Are local leaders, no matter what their party affiliation, starting to recognize that Sacramento simply does not understand the needs and views of individual districts? Local control is making a comeback in the Democratic Party?
“The process is what it is,” Clegg said. “It is a really Sacramento-centric caucus process. We’re going to focus on where we have a big advantage, which is with Democrats living in the district.”
A spokesman for Miller, probably the least known among the three Democrats, declined to comment.
A fourth candidate, Marianne Williamson, is an independent and was not eligible for the endorsement. In interviews, however, Williamson has called herself a progressive and said she shares many positions with the Democratic candidates.
Marianne Williamson may pose more of a threat than Democrats realize. She announced her interest in the seat long before Congressman Henry Waxman decided to retire (er, retreat) from office. Will she be able to leave enough of a mark to press into the general election? She may peel away enough Democratic votes to force a greater split for a Republican (a conservative?) to get into the top-two general election.
The only Republican mounting a serious campaign is Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Elan Carr.
The top two candidates, regardless of party, in the June 3 primary will move on to the general election on Nov. 4.
In the general election, the Democratic Party endorsement might be less helpful to Lieu, said Jack Pitney, professor of American Politics at Claremont McKenna College. That’s because while a Democrat is favored to win the 33rd Congressional District race, only about 44 percent of the district’s voters are registered Democrats, according to the Secretary of State’s Office. About 28 percent of voters are Republicans, while about 22 percent decline to state a party.
Thank you, Mr Pitney. Let us not forget, either, that a Republican is back in the mayor's seat in San Diego, even though the city has been trending Democratic over the past few elections. Then there's the Vidak race in 2013, where the Republican cherry farmer from Hanford won by nine points in a two-to-one Democratic district in the Central Valley.
Registration, strictly speaking, means nothing. Democrats are tearing each other up over union power, school choice, "affirmative action" (really stat-sponsored discrimination), and even gun rights may become a focal issue.
The Republican and independent votes will be important in November, Pitney said. And those voters probably won’t be swayed by the Democratic Party endorsement.
Duh!
“The 33rd District is not as heavily Democratic as many others in the Los Angeles area,” Pitney said in an email. “Greuel could build a coalition of Republicans, independents and moderate Democrats.”
The same lady who lambasted Kevin James as some kind of right-wing extremist. Really? Sadly, though, former Republican LA Mayor Richard Riordan has endorsed Ted Lieu. What a shame.
Or will it? Or will Democrats find themselves divided along a number of issues, which the mainstream media insists on ignoring, while playing up the divisions now actually fading away among the Republican Party?
 |
| Lieu received Democratic Party endorsement So what? |
Lieu currently represented state senate district 26, which includes 80% of the 33rd Congressional district. He is a nice fit, to the extent that he has vetted voters and worked with city leaders up and down the district. But with all the other Democrats running for a seat, plus the division between South Bay Democrats and West Los Angeles liberals, the vote could be split inconveniently, and in favor of a conservative.
“This is a huge deal,” Lieu said. “It shows that I have the backing of the Democratic Party and this is in a congressional district that is heavily Democratic. It also shows that I have the support of the grass-roots Democrats.”
No it does not. No matter what a politician says about his support, there is no certainty that grassroots voters will get behind a state senator who has passed laws regulating all kinds of issues, while trying to triple our car tax.
How much the endorsement affects the race remains to be seen. Lieu immediately will be able to start advertising that he has the party endorsement. The party could also spend money on his behalf, but that is a decision that will be made later, a Democratic Party spokesman said.
Sumers' statement is accurate. Plus the fact the Wendy Greuel's campaign can argue that the Democratic reps voting for Lieu are focused primarily on their own interests, while ignoring the outreach from the former mayoral candidate.
“Campaigns and candidates have fought fiercely for the party’s endorsement,” party spokesman Tenoch Flores said. “The party’s endorsement is something that matters to rank-and-file Democrats throughout California.”
Sean Clegg, a Greuel strategist, said the campaign fought for the endorsement but will be fine without it. He said that Greuel already has strong name identification among Democrats because of her 2013 run for Los Angeles mayor. Clegg said an internal campaign poll conducted in February among likely voters put Greuel up by 13 points with Democrats against Lieu. Clegg also noted that Greuel has been endorsed by two prominent Democrats holding statewide offices — Attorney General Kamala Harris and Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom.
The division between local Democratic leaders vs. statewide Democratic representatives is interesting. Are local leaders, no matter what their party affiliation, starting to recognize that Sacramento simply does not understand the needs and views of individual districts? Local control is making a comeback in the Democratic Party?
“The process is what it is,” Clegg said. “It is a really Sacramento-centric caucus process. We’re going to focus on where we have a big advantage, which is with Democrats living in the district.”
A spokesman for Miller, probably the least known among the three Democrats, declined to comment.
A fourth candidate, Marianne Williamson, is an independent and was not eligible for the endorsement. In interviews, however, Williamson has called herself a progressive and said she shares many positions with the Democratic candidates.
Marianne Williamson may pose more of a threat than Democrats realize. She announced her interest in the seat long before Congressman Henry Waxman decided to retire (er, retreat) from office. Will she be able to leave enough of a mark to press into the general election? She may peel away enough Democratic votes to force a greater split for a Republican (a conservative?) to get into the top-two general election.
The only Republican mounting a serious campaign is Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Elan Carr.
The top two candidates, regardless of party, in the June 3 primary will move on to the general election on Nov. 4.
In the general election, the Democratic Party endorsement might be less helpful to Lieu, said Jack Pitney, professor of American Politics at Claremont McKenna College. That’s because while a Democrat is favored to win the 33rd Congressional District race, only about 44 percent of the district’s voters are registered Democrats, according to the Secretary of State’s Office. About 28 percent of voters are Republicans, while about 22 percent decline to state a party.
Thank you, Mr Pitney. Let us not forget, either, that a Republican is back in the mayor's seat in San Diego, even though the city has been trending Democratic over the past few elections. Then there's the Vidak race in 2013, where the Republican cherry farmer from Hanford won by nine points in a two-to-one Democratic district in the Central Valley.
Registration, strictly speaking, means nothing. Democrats are tearing each other up over union power, school choice, "affirmative action" (really stat-sponsored discrimination), and even gun rights may become a focal issue.
The Republican and independent votes will be important in November, Pitney said. And those voters probably won’t be swayed by the Democratic Party endorsement.
Duh!
“The 33rd District is not as heavily Democratic as many others in the Los Angeles area,” Pitney said in an email. “Greuel could build a coalition of Republicans, independents and moderate Democrats.”
The same lady who lambasted Kevin James as some kind of right-wing extremist. Really? Sadly, though, former Republican LA Mayor Richard Riordan has endorsed Ted Lieu. What a shame.
