Democrats reject last-ditch appeal by Ellis

SACRAMENTO — The California Democratic Party on Sunday rejected a lastditch appeal contesting the election of the party’s new leader, setting up a strong possibility of a court challenge.

Bay Area Democratic activist Kimberly Ellis, who narrowly lost the race for party chair to Eric Bauman in May, appealed a party committee’s affirmation of the election results in July. On Sunday, the party’s credentials committee dismissed the appeal.

“With the conclusion of the Credentials Committee hearing today, it is my hope that our entire California Democratic Party family can move forward on making progress on these urgent and pressing issues, free from the distraction of costly litigation and needless division,” Bauman said in a statement.

Bauman, the longtime chairman of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, was declared the winner at the state party’s annual convention. Ellis’ campaign has repeatedly contested the results, reviewed every ballot cast and called into question the validity of hundreds of votes.

The bitter intraparty fracas has exposed schisms in the state Democratic Party that mirror the divide between Hillary Clinton’s and Bernie Sanders’ supporters during the 2016 presidential primary.

Some of the state’s top Democratic Party leaders worry the internal feud may divide the party, which dominates California politics, and undercut the state’s strong role in opposing the policies of President Trump and the Republicanled Congress.

Ellis said from the outset that she expected her challenge to Bauman’s victory would be dismissed, saying the process was biased in favor of her rival. She’s also indicated her next step may be to take her case to court.