Biden, Warren snub state, and state party chair’s upset

Presidential primary front-runners say they’ll be skipping the Nov. 16 forum for Democratic candidates in Long Beach

The chair of the California Democratic Party accused former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Tuesday of showing “disrespect” to Golden State voters by skipping a candidate forum in Long Beach later this month.

“I respect your work/ candidacy, BUT … you should reconsider your misguided decision to publicly snub California’s Democrats & Latino Voters across the nation,” Chair Rusty Hicks wrote in a series of tweets.

The Nov. 16 forum, which is being sponsored by the state party and the Spanish-language news channel Univision, will coincide with the California Democratic Party convention in Long Beach.

Hicks, a former union official who took charge of the party earlier this year, argued that the top candidates’ spurn of the event was a slight to the state’s legions of loyal Democratic volunteers.

“Your decision is a blatant disregard and disrespect to California’s grassroots leaders who make the phone calls, knock the doors, and give the money … in swing districts and swing states alike … year after year after year,” he wrote. “It’s clear you don’t think you need us to win the Primary. But, you *just might* need us in the General. Just sayin.”

Unlike the presidential debates over the past few months, the California forum will feature candidates speaking on stage one at a time, not facing off. But it will be nationally televised to Univision’s audience — and give the White House hopefuls a chance to make their case firsthand to 5,000 California activists, influential party leaders and other voters.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Kamala Harris, entrepreneur Andrew Yang, Sen. Cory Booker and former housing secretary Julián Castro all will participate in the forum, said state Democratic Party spokesperson Roger Salazar.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar and San Francisco megadonor Tom Steyer, who are expected to attend the convention, may end up getting Biden and Warren’s spots on the forum stage.

Biden’s campaign said he would stage a public event in California two days before the forum but was scheduled to campaign in Nevada on Nov. 16.

“Vice President Biden is looking forward to returning to the West Coast to meet with voters face to face as he continues to lay out his vision to restore the soul of the nation, rebuild the middle class and unify the country,” a Biden spokesperson said. “Vice President Biden knows that the voices of Californians are crucial in the Democratic primary, which is why he will work harder than anyone else to earn their vote and ensure we defeat Donald Trump next November.”

Warren’s campaign declined to comment.

The fact that the primary’s two front-runners aren’t showing up is one possible sign that California’s

much-vaunted decision to move up its presidential primary to March 3 — Super Tuesday — isn’t providing the Golden State as much influence in the contest as it had hoped.

Though candidates have made more appearances around California than at this point in past primaries, the campaigns still heavily have concentrated resources, visits and advertising in Iowa, New Hampshire and other earlier states. Notably, Harris, the home state senator who entered the race to big expectations in January, has cut staff and resources in California and other states amid flatlining poll numbers — to make a Hail Mary play in Iowa.

Biden skipped two other high-profile Democratic conventions in San Francisco this year — the state party meeting in June and the Democratic National Committee confab in August. Most of his California appearances so far have been closed-door, high-dollar fundraisers.

Warren, on the other hand, got warm receptions at both San Francisco party meetings and has had several rallies and other events around the state. Her campaign is set to open an office in Oakland this weekend and another in Los Angeles in the next few weeks.

The Massachusetts senator has led recent California polls. The Real-ClearPolitics average for the state puts her at 24.5%, followed by Biden at 23.5% and Sanders at 20.3%.