Harris rallies state’s Dems at convention
ANAHEIM — Just the mention of state Attorney General Kamala Harris’ name Saturday drew thousands of cheering Democrats to their feet, waving campaign signs for her race for Senate.
With a plum speaking spot at the weekend’s California Democratic Convention, Harris earned a warm welcome and a ringing endorsement from the event’s headliner — Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.
Harris’ opponent, Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Santa Ana, was left to do her own campaigning Saturday, striding around the vast corridors of the Anaheim Convention Center, where 3,000 Democrats converged for the party’s largest gathering of the year. Sanchez is scheduled to speak in a far less visible Sunday slot, de- spite the convention taking place in her Orange County stomping grounds.
It’s not the first hurdle Sanchez has faced in her first statewide campaign. Sanchez said people pushed her not to get into the race, telling one reporter that she was threatened not to challenge Harris. She would not elaborate on who threatened her or how.
Scrutiny for Sanchez
By the day’s end, Sanchez was getting a taste of intense scrutiny she will face in the race. She was loudly criticized after showing up at a party caucus and describing American Indians by putting her hand over her mouth and mimicking a war cry.
Sanchez later said she made the gesture to try to differentiate between American Indians and people whose ancestors were from India.
Sanchez entered the race Thursday to replace retiring Sen. Barbara Boxer. A week earlier, she had asked the state Democratic Party leaders to add her to the list of convention speakers.
“We were happy to accommodate her,” said Michael Soller, a party spokesman. “At that point we were limited to the speaking roles on Sunday.”
Gov. Jerry Brown declined to weigh in on the Senate race during his brief convention appearance Friday, when he touted the state’s recovery and highlighted the funding added to schools and health care under his recently revised budget proposal.
Warren, who endorsed Harris soon after the attorney general announced her run in January, said she was happy to help a friend who fought alongside her to protect consumers who were “tricked and trapped” by bad mortgages when the housing bubble burst.
Warren said Harris was “fearless” in fighting for consumers against the banks that sold bad mortgages.
Warren roused the crowd with a speech about making Washington work for average Americans.
“The game is rigged,” Warren said. “Washington works great if you are a millionaire, a billionaire or a giant corporation ... But Washington is not working for California families ... We’re here to change that.”
Harris has raised $2.5 million and has a long list of party leaders backing her. Still, Sanchez said she feels good about her chances. “I bring the right kind of experience,” she said. “And I believe we can win.”
Also looking at getting in the race is Rep. Xavier Becerra, D-Los Angeles, who said he’s strongly considering his prospects and plans to make a decision before August.
“I wouldn’t be looking at it if I didn’t think there was something there,” Becerra said at the convention. “I haven’t seen anyone who would hit the ground running and be able to achieve what I could as quickly as I could.”
Harris used her convention speech Saturday to highlight some of the things she intends to fight for.
Harris on education
She said she would “stand up for the people” to create universal preschool, full-day kindergarten and affordable child care for all families, and fight for students against diploma mills that “strapped them with useless degrees and a lifetime of debt.”
“I will tell you what it means to stand up for the people,” Harris said. “It means standing up for an economy that works for all people.”