California left rallies around Kevin de Leon over Dianne Feinstein for Senate run
As Bernie Sanders dominated the California political landscape in 2016, Hillary Clinton was propped up by the Democratic Party, who even conspired against the Vermont socialist, but now the state will adjust and Senator Dianne Feinstein may be the first casualty.
“The long-time California Democratic senator failed to secure her own party’s endorsement, coming in nearly 20 percentage points behind her primary challenger among delegate votes at the state party’s annual convention in San Diego over the weekend. State Senate leader Kevin de León, who is challenging Feinstein from the left, won the support of 54 percent of the Democratic delegates, compared to 37 percent support for Feinstein.”
Later they added: “Nearly two-thirds of the party’s delegates voted against Feinstein, a startling result whose meaning should not be minimized…”
de León jabbed relentlessly at Sen. Dianne Feinstein during the California Democratic Party convention on Saturday.
“Real leadership, moral clarity, is always doing the right thing, even when no one is watching. It should never take a primary challenge for California’s leadership to stand up for California values,” he said.
During an interview with The Nation, de Leon explained that “it’s time that we have a voice that’s reflective of the California of today. This is not the time for complacency or patience, but to do everything in our power to protect our communities, our economic prosperity, our progressive values, and our people. Our environment, climate change, the Dreamers, creating real economic opportunities so we can grow the middle class.”
He discusses the state’s efforts to help illegal immigrants by becoming a Sanctuary State, clean energy over coal mining jobs, announcing “If I went to Washington I would make sure we made it a national platform, export our California values to Washington, not the other way around.”
The LA Times notes that “California has grown more liberal, Feinstein has angered part of the Democratic Party’s base by her perceived moderation, including her call for “patience” with President Trump.”
“De León’s campaign is founded on winning support from progressives who believe Feinstein is not liberal enough to represent California, as well as Latino voters. It’s unclear how much support he has from either group.”