It appears that the recent and entirely unexpected defeat of Rep. Joe Crowley (D-NY), the number 4 Democrat in the House, at the hands of newcomer Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a far-left progressive who organized for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) during his presidential run, has sent shock waves through the country that have finally hit California.
Earlier this year, the California Democratic Party declined to endorse a candidate in the race for the U. S. Senate seat currently held by Dianne Feinstein. Now, the party has gone all-in for her much younger and far more progressive rival, Kevin de León.
California Democratic Party leaders took a step to the left Saturday night, endorsing liberal state lawmaker Kevin de León for Senate in a stinging rebuke of Democratic icon Sen. Dianne Feinstein.De León’s victory reflected the increasing strength of the state party’s liberal activist core, which was energized by the election of Republican President Trump.The endorsement was an embarrassment for Feinstein, who is running for a fifth full term, and indicates that Democratic activists in California have soured on her reputation for pragmatism and deference to bipartisanship as Trump and a Republican-led Congress are attacking Democratic priorities on immigration, healthcare and environmental protections.
This is not so much a step to the left, but one giant leap into the progressive abyss. Legal Insurrection readers may recall my warning about León:
…De León spearheaded the Sanctuary State measure that just was signed by Gov. Jerry Brown. In fact, he is so progressive that Feinstein seems like a veritable Margaret Thatcher in comparison.If elected, the rest of the country is in for a real treat! While leading the fight to make California a “sanctuary state,” de León suggested half of his family would be deported for using falsified Social Security cards and other fake identification. According to a new book co-authored by my colleague Katy Grimes, “California’s War Against Donad Trump,” de León’s name was originally Kevin Leon and his has no private work experience, having gotten a start in his political life by being a community organizer for the powerful California Teachers Union.
The good news, such as it is, may be that Feinstein trounced her opposition in the primaries and is likely to do the same to de Leon in a one-on-one battle.
…Feinstein remains a strong favorite for November — she won 44 percent in the June top-two primary to De León’s 12 percent, and has a sizable fundraising advantage.“While 217 delegates expressed their view today, Senator Feinstein won by 2.1 million votes and earned 70% of the Democratic vote in the California Primary election, carrying every county by double digits over her opponent,” Feinstein campaign manager Jeff Millman said Saturday. “We are confident that a large majority of California Democrats will vote to reelect Senator Feinstein in November.”
However, the endorsement means de León gets to be the poster-child for the “new” Democratic Party, have his face pictured in all the mailers and ads, and be featured in all the email blasts. Furthermore, his campaign will be able to jointly raise money with the party.
A check of social media shows that Feinstein will be supported by voters in this state who do not find the new version of the Democratic Party appealing, no matter what their party affiliation is.
However, be prepared for the media to feature de León as the attractive, new star of the Democratic Party!
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