Democrats scramble in local confabs for state party backing
Democrats hoping to replace retiring Rep. Henry Waxman competed Sunday for local party activists’ support, and state Sen. Ted Lieu came out on top.
At a pre-endorsement conference covering several area races, five candidates made two-minute pitches before the ballots were tallied.
Lieu garnered 59 votes, or 73%, enough to position him strongly for a California Democratic Party endorsement at the party’s convention in Los Angeles next month.
Greuel received seven votes and three other candidates who attended the meeting received none. Fourteen delegates voted to have the party make no endorsement.
Lieu, who did a little victory leap as the tally was announced, said he was “humbled by the outpouring of support” by local party activists.
A Greuel spokesman downplayed the result, chalking it up to Greuel’s not being “part of the Sacramento old boys’ network,” and said she would carry the endorsement fight to the convention.
Waxman, a Beverly Hills Democrat, caught many by surprise when he announced Jan. 30 he would step down after near four decades in Congress.
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Twitter: @jeanmerl
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