Friday: First of all, presidential candidates. In other news: President Trump’s Mexico tariff plan; and the controversial college map that wasn’t
Good morning.
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Today, the California Democratic Party state convention kicks off in San Francisco.
No, it’s not going to determine whom the party is endorsing in the presidential race.
And, anyway, the party’s endorsement may not have much sway over California’s newly relevant presidential primary, if its move to back Kevin de León’s unsuccessful bid to oust Senator Dianne Feinstein is any indication. Plus, the party’s leadership is mired in scandal, as a result of sexual harassment allegations that led Eric Bauman to resign his post as chairman late last year.
So why should anyone but the most die-hard politicos care?
I asked Raphael Sonenshein, executive director of the Pat Brown Institute of Public Affairs at Cal State L.A. He told me that it comes down to a couple of things:
First, the convention will be as good as any early poll for observers hoping to get a read on which of the 23 Democratic presidential candidates may be able to make a dent in what is now a very important primary state.
“It’s an audition,” Mr. Sonenshein said. “It may do a lot to eliminate some of the more marginal candidates as much as it will help clarify who’s at the top.”
According to The Wall Street Journal, 14 of those candidates are set to speak to delegates at the convention, including all the ones considered front-runners, except for former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.
And that, Mr. Sonenshein said, may be a signal in and of itself, that Mr. Biden is focusing more energy on high-dollar California donors and big-ticket endorsements, rather than courting members of the most progressive wing of the state’s multifaceted Democratic contingent.
Second, he said, the election of a new chairperson could signal the direction of the state’s Democratic Party more broadly, which will most likely be important.
Mr. Sonenshein said the 2016 presidential election opened a deep rift along the fault line of Senator Bernie Sanders vs. Hillary Clinton. The fight extended into 2017 with a bruising battle over Mr. Bauman’s election as chairman.
“I think there are still going to be some leftover feelings from the last battle, which was so bitter between Clinton and Sanders forces,” Mr. Sonenshein said. “It really tore the party apart.”
This weekend, Mr. Sonenshein said, the process of selecting a new leader could either signal a continuation of that debate, or a more cohesive future.
