As Political Endorsements Multiply, They Lose Value

On March 24, the Sierra Club, the largest environmental group in the state and a hallowed name among conservationists, issued one of the most coveted endorsements in California politics: its recommendation for governor.

State Controller Steve Westly promptly expressed his gratitude, saying in a news release: “I am honored to have earned the support of the Sierra Club.”

Twenty-nine minutes later, state Treasurer Phil Angelides, Westly’s rival for the Democratic nomination in the June 6 primary, issued a statement of his own: “I am honored to receive the Sierra Club’s endorsement.”

What might seem like a horrible campaign mix-up was no mistake: The club had decided to back both men.

The Sierra Club California has been promiscuous in other primary races. It embraced two Democratic candidates for state controller. And the club endorsed all three Democrats running for lieutenant governor -- even though their voting records on environmental bills, which the club compiled, did not rate equally.

Once an exclusive distinction, many endorsements are being distributed so liberally that analysts say they are all but meaningless: They show that advocacy groups and unions are more interested in currying favor with candidates than in providing voters with useful guidance.

“It really is about not wanting to annoy someone who might win,” said Barbara O’Connor, director of the Institute for the Study of Politics and Media at Cal State Sacramento. “They don’t want to make enemies for their future efforts. But I don’t think it’s a valuable thing for a voter.”

The reluctance to choose among candidates comes as voters are being deluged with choices. With term limits creating a scramble for seats among current officeholders, there are seriously contested primaries in six of the seven partisan races for statewide office and in many local elections.

“The real thing about these endorsements -- it shouldn’t be any surprise -- is they are highly, highly political,” said Assembly Majority Leader Dario Frommer (D-Glendale), who dropped out of the race for state controller earlier this year. “It depends on who is on the interviewing committee and what your relationships are with a lot of those people, and less, frankly, about your work in the Legislature.”

Multiple endorsements are at odds with tradition, still practiced by political parties, which dictates that one candidate is endorsed or none are. At the state Democratic convention over the weekend, for instance, delegates backed Angelides for governor but issued no endorsement in three statewide races.

But activist groups say multiple endorsements are justified when more than one candidate is exemplary and it is the only way to reach a consensus among their members. They also say they will endorse only one candidate in the general election.

Sierra Club official Bill Magavern said that although the muddle of endorsements has produced some “grumbling” from candidates and their supporters, “there probably would have been a lot more grumbling from disappointed backers of candidates we didn’t endorse if we had done more singling out.”

Multiple endorsements are largely confined to the Democratic primaries. The GOP has fewer contested races and stronger ideological differences among rivals, making it easier for groups to choose a favorite.

In the campaign for attorney general, the California Labor Federation endorsed both Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown and Los Angeles City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo. The federation, an umbrella group of unions, also endorsed multiple candidates in the Democratic primaries for state controller, the Los Angeles-area seat on the Board of Equalization and five legislative seats.

Bryan Blum, the federation’s political director, said its endorsement rules require the support of two-thirds of delegates -- a difficult hurdle when there are many appealing candidates. Blum said the group’s message was that all the candidates it endorses in a contest are acceptable and that voters “can’t go wrong” with any of them.

The difficulty that some Democratic-leaning groups have in choosing among politicians is growing even as their vetting process intensifies. Candidates spend hours filling out detailed questionnaires that demand more information and political commitments each year.

“It’s unbelievable -- the complexity of these endorsements -- and if you’ve ever done one thing they don’t like, they’ll endorse someone with no record at all,” said Gale Kaufman, a Democratic consultant whose clients include candidates and unions. “It is demeaning. It is nonsensical.”

Many candidates believe the questionnaires they fill out are designed to obtain specific commitments from them rather than help a group make an informed endorsement.

The state chapter of the Service Employees International Union -- a labor organization representing many healthcare and public service workers -- distributes a questionnaire that runs 13 pages, asking candidates to declare their positions on dozens of topics that routinely come before the Legislature.

The form also asks whether they will promise to walk picket lines, speak at union rallies, attend union workshops and “ensure direct access to you and your staff.”

Despite all the information the union collated, it could not choose between Brown and Delgadillo for attorney general; it endorsed both. Union officials also issued dual endorsements in three other races and backed all three Democratic candidates in the campaign for a Bay Area seat in the state Senate.

Candidates rarely acknowledge that an endorsement is not exclusive, prompting some unusual clarifications. San Mateo County resident Mike Nevin, running for state Senate, issued a news release this year that began: “Former county Supervisor Mike Nevin reminded voters today that House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi had endorsed his candidacy long before Nevin’s opponent, Leland Yee, announced her endorsement last week.”

Groups that issue multiple endorsements may add to the irritation of the candidates they do not embrace.

The California League of Conservation Voters issued dual endorsements in the Democratic primaries for controller and lieutenant governor. But in the race for secretary of state, it endorsed state Sen. Debra Bowen of Marina del Rey over another state senator, Deborah Ortiz of Sacramento.

The decision rankled Ortiz, who voted with the league 96% of the time last year; Bowen’s rate was 87%. Ortiz sponsored two of 27 bills the league identified as priorities; Bowen sponsored none.

Rico Mastrodonato, the league’s Northern California director, said endorsements are “a prerogative of the board” and take into account other factors, including an interview and what the candidates want to do in the office they seek.

“Most of these endorsements are sort of inside games and processes. They mean little to nothing to the voters,” Ortiz said. “I don’t hold a lot of stock in them, but of course you can’t not try to get them.”