California May Be An Early Primary State Now, But It’s Still Not Getting The Full Iowa Treatment

June 3, 2019 at 8:20 AM PDT

Speaker 1: 00:00 Speaker 2: 00:21 Speaker 3: 00:24 Speaker 2: 00:33 Speaker 3: 00:45 Speaker 4: 00:50 Speaker 3: 01:00 Speaker 4: 01:07 Speaker 3: 01:14 Speaker 2: 01:20 Speaker 3: 01:28 Speaker 4: 02:32 Speaker 3: 02:43 Speaker 2: 02:47 Speaker 3: 02:53 Speaker 4: 02:54 Speaker 3: 02:58 Speaker 5: 03:00 Speaker 3: 03:14 Speaker 6: 03:38 Speaker 6: 04:32 Speaker 5: 05:08 Speaker 6: 05:36 Speaker 7: 06:25 Speaker 6: 07:05 Speaker 6: 08:01 Speaker 1: 09:19 Speaker 6: 09:24 Speaker 1: 09:35 Speaker 6: 09:47 Speaker 1: 10:39 Speaker 8: 10:47 It doesn't happen often, but California was the center of the presidential race this weekend. 14 candidates address the State Democratic Party convention in San Francisco and many of them also held their public events and raise money in the state, but as capital public radio's been Adler reports that candidates didn't spend much time talking about California. Hello California Democrats when Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar stepped on the California Democratic Party convention stage Saturday afternoon, she opened by praising some of the golden states blue policy. See, it is so great to be in a state that has led the way on paid family leave, $15 minimum wage worker protections and reproductive rights. South Bend, Indiana may or p Buddha judge was quick to say he feels right at home in California. Yeah, because the spirit of this state is so much like the spirit of my campaign, new thinking, bold action, focus on the future in New Jersey. Senator Cory Booker made sure the crowd knew his mother graduated from a Los Angeles high school and the University of Southern California. Well, this is a state that gave my family a black family coming from Louisiana, a chance to make it. But that's pretty much all they said about California for the rest of their seven minute speeches. Even the state's own Senator Homily Harris. And the thing I love about California Democrats as we are never afraid of a fight, we liked a good fight. The other candidates who addressed the convention also kept the remarks focused on national issues and of course, president Trump, the golden state votes earlier, this presidential campaign with vote by mail ballots for its new march primary going out the day of the Iowa caucuses. So candidates are campaigning publicly in doing more interviews. They're not just coming here to raise money yet. California is still not getting the Iowa treatment. I didn't hear anyone talk specifically about any issues going on in California like, Hey, I understand that president Trump is potentially holding up money for wildfire survivors and that's not right. We need to make that right. That's Carol Dauman, a media strategist who worked for former Democratic governor, Gray Davis. She calls not focusing on golden state issues. A missed opportunity. I mean, when you have two dozen candidates, 14 of which are here today, someone could have really stood out and just said, hey, yeah, I understand some of the issues in California. Nobody did that. Even though the convention in San Francisco was on Harris, his home turf, the candidates who seem to draw the most positive receptions where Buddha judge and so the riskiest thing we could do is try too hard to play it safe. Okay. Beating Donald Trump is a must, but that is a floor, not a ceiling. Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, we need big structural change and yes, I have a plan for that. In Vermont. Senator Bernie Sanders, there is no middle ground. On the other hand, John Hickenlooper got boots. If we want to beat Donald Trump and achieve big progressive goals, socialism is not the answer. I was reelected. Former vice president Joe Biden skipped the convention entirely. He campaigned in Ohio instead. Carol diamond says Biden who's leading in national polls didn't miss much by staying away. No, he's the vice president. He has 100% name Id. Ah, this is not, his crowd is crowded. That didn't stop several of his rifles from taking shots at him, even if they never mentioned his name in San Francisco. I'm Ben Adler and joining us now is been Adler capital public radio's capital bureau chief. Ben, welcome. Hey, good to be with you. So you spent a weekend at the State Democratic Party convention in San Francisco. What are some of the major themes at the convention? The presidential race of course dominated 14 candidates, many of whom you just heard in that story spoke to the delegates and crowd, the total around 5,000 people. And then the state party also elected the delegates at the convention also elected a new State party chair and there was a divide in the party over the more establishment choice. First, the more progressive grass roots choice and uh, the, the establishment, uh, won that battle. And who did well at the convention? First presidential candidates go, I think the, the three who had the strongest showings, just gaging the reaction in the room and perhaps unexpectedly. So Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, and Pete booted. Judge and Bernie Sanders had a strong showing on Sunday too. There were just fewer people in the room because it was Sunday morning. There were only a handful of candidates speaking that morning. And, and, and I think many folks had already left. So, uh, if you don't mind, I've got a piece of tape from Elizabeth Warren making an argument that can be seen as an implied jab at former vice president Joe Biden, who did not come to speak. And, and perhaps no wonder because candidates, uh, a couple of candidates were booed when they signaled that they were opposed to single payer health care and instead preferred universal health care with a public option. So let's hear from Elizabeth Warren. Some Democrats in Washington believed the only changes we can get our tweaks and nudges if they dream it all they dreams small. Some say if we all just calm down, the Republicans will come to their senses. But our country is in a time of crisis. The time for small ideas is over. Um, and tell me who struggled at the convention. So this was interesting. This convention of course was home turf for California senator and former San Francisco district attorney in California, attorney general, Kamala Harris. And she was the first of the presidential candidates to speak. She spoke Saturday morning in, she had, you know, fine reaction the crowd, but it was nothing like Elizabeth Warren who spoke a couple candidates later. So I wanted to play a clip from a delegate. We spoke with someone who's undecided. His name is Joe [inaudible]. He's from Bishop and rural in your county. That's the eastern part of California. And he has not yet decided he voted for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 primary. And I asked him about Camilla Harris. She did not inspire the, the passion or the emotion that I had hoped for when I think that is, that's a great question. I heard, uh, Cory booker speak and it, it, it was more inspiring and you have to use broad rhetoric, but personal examples and Cory booker does a wonderful job of storytelling to thank, that's the America that we could be, this is the democracy that we should be. And I didn't hear that from, from Kamala Harris, unfortunately. Hm. And what else did you hear from the delegates you spoke with about what they're looking for in the 2020 presidential candidate ever? One is course is talking about electability are, and maybe not everyone many most talking about electability, although I think some may have different ideas of what electability means. There's this, this assumption that electability means Joe Biden, this group of delegates. And let's keep in mind these delegates are the most active of folks who are California Democrats. But given that, uh, you know, they're, they're not necessarily Biden fans there. They're not necessarily sure he's electable, which differs, I think from a lot of folks right now who have, according to national polls, I mean, Biden seems to be the, the, the leader, uh, at this early point in the race. Uh, I think Warren had a decent weekend. I, I don't think necessarily that Harris had all that good of a weekend and that's completely separate from that incident at a different event, at a different site this weekend where someone came up on stage and grabbed the mic out of her hands. Sitting that completely aside. It didn't seem like she was really closing the sale in what could have been seen as her home crowd at the convention. And tell us more about the election for state party chair. What can you tell us about the parties? New leader, Rusty Hicks, so he is a Labor leader in Los Angeles. He was up against Kimberly Ellis, a progressive activist from the bay area who lost the State party chair race a couple of years ago to an establishment pick. And this is a case where there were a lot of elected leaders and staff and folks in the party establishment who were very nervous about what it would look like if Kimberly Ellis one and they were very relieved on Saturday night when Hicks one surprisingly on the first ballot rather than going into a runoff against Ellis Sunday morning. There were seven candidates. Overall, but when I reported that on my Twitter feed, just reporting fact, I mean my, my feet blew up with a lot folks who were very upset about seeing that. I don't know how surprising it should be, but uh, it certainly was provocative that that behind the scenes, a lot of relief that Kimberly Ellis did not win a rusty Hicks, very much an establishment institution, part of the Democratic Party. And it also showed the power of the labor movement within the Democratic Party to be able to deliver, um, the state party chair race too. Rusty Hicks and you know, we should mention the previous chairman resigned and mid sexual harassment allegations, right? Yes. Eric Bauman. Um, it's a four year term typically for state party. Chair bound was elected two years ago. He resigned last year. That was an interim chair until yesterday when, when Hicks took over. Yeah. California's primary has been moved up to March 3rd and a vote by mail starts, as you pointed out the same day as the Iowa caucuses. Do you expect presidential hopefuls to continue to campaign in California until then? Oh, I, I think they, they probably have to, I mean there's, there's the large, they're more presidential primary delegates at stake in California than any other contests. And you know, California is right up there in the first big pack of states voting after the four early states. There's also the fact that, uh, Dell gets rewarded by congressional district and you have to get 15% to cross a viability standard could open up a lot of opportunities for delegates. On the other hand, this is not a retail campaigning state the way Iowa and New Hampshire are. You're not gonna see, you know, someone stopping by a diner or maybe you will, but they will absolutely be making sure that there are TV camera's there and they probably won't be stopping to talk with every single voter. An answer in depth questions to the extent that Iowans can have. So a California may be in early state, but as I said in my story that, that, that you folks just ran, still not quite getting the full Iowa treatment. I've been speaking with Ben Adler, capital public radio's capital bureau chief. Ben, thanks so much for joining us. You're welcome. [inaudible].

By KPBS Public Media

It doesn’t happen often, but California was the center of the presidential race this weekend. Fourteen candidates addressed the state Democratic Party convention, and many of them also held other public events and raised money in the state.