Intraparty fights can be revealing

Politics is often at its most interesting when members of the same political party go at it. That's when the public gets a glimpse into just how different factions and sensibilities come together in a two-party system.

In Riverside County, voters will miss out on what could have been an interesting political battle between incumbent Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona, and state Sen. Melissa Melendez, R-Lake Elsinore.

Calvert has represented the area for decades, with minimal opposition. In recent years, the only remarkable thing has been that he went from trouncing Democratic challengers by over 20 points to now by “just” over 14 points.

Melendez recently pulled papers to run against Calvert, issuing a statement noting how long Calvert has been in office and issued a statement saying, “it's time for fresh ideas when it comes to representing Riverside County in our nation's capital.”

Melendez's announcement raised all sorts of questions, like whether or not Melendez was going to try to run to the right of Calvert, who supported challenges to the 2020 election results. It also made one wonder whether the result of that race would push both of them so far to the right that it would open a pathway for a Democrat to finally prevail.

Alas, all these possibilities ended earlier this week when Melendez failed to meet the filing deadline.

Meanwhile, in a more common scenario, two high-profile Democrats — Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia and Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia, D-Bell Gardens — are facing off over an open congressional seat.

Robert Garcia recently fell short of receiving the California Democratic Party's endorsement, prompting the Cristina Garcia campaign to issue a statement giving everyone insight into the strategy against Robert Garcia.

“Robert Garcia is clearly running away from his past as a Republican operative. He coveted the Democratic Party endorsement as a buffer against that past,” their campaign spokesperson said. “Assemblywoman Garcia's people centered legislative record formed a strong progressive bloc for Cristina.”

Only time will tell if the strategy of “my fellow Democrat used to be a Republican” will end up working. But that's politics for you.