With President Biden drops out of the race In the presidential race, California is poised to play a pivotal role in selecting a new democratic candidateThe state is home to the Most of the delegatess for the Democratic National Convention — and for Vice President Kamala Harris, a former U.S. senator who has a home in Los Angeles.
Within hours of Biden endorsing Harris on Sunday, California Democratic leaders began working to secure the state’s 496 delegates for the vice president. State Democratic Party Chairman Rusty Hicks sent a form to delegates, asking them to endorse Harris.
“Now is the time for Democrats to unite around our common goal: defeating Donald Trump, taking back the House of Representatives, and preserving our democracy,” Hicks said. “I am calling on the delegates from our great state of California and home of our Vice President, Kamala Harris, to officially endorse her nomination for President of the United States at the convention in Chicago.”
San Francisco Democrats, including Mayor London Breed, hastily organized a pro-Harris rally on the steps of City Hall on Monday morning.
The chance for California to flex its political muscles on the national stage comes after a period of declining power in the Golden State.
For years, Californians enjoyed seats at the highest levels of power: Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) became the most powerful woman in congressional history as House speaker. Then came her Republican successor, Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of San Francisco became the longest-serving senator in U.S. history and served on powerful committees.
But in rapid succession over the past two years, California's power has waned. Pelosi Low in 2022 to make room for “a new generation” of Democratic leaders. McCarthy lost his post as House speaker in a historic conflict with his own party and then resigned from Congress. Feinstein died in September.
If Oakland-born Harris, who served as a senator and California attorney general before becoming vice president, becomes the Democratic nominee, a Californian would be a major party's presidential nominee for the first time in decades.
Another Democrat could emerge to compete for the party's nomination at the Chicago convention, but California's delegate bloc will be crucial to securing it. Already, several California political leaders have been quick to call on Democrats to support Harris. including Governor Gavin Newsom.
“Tough. Fearless. Tenacious,” Newsom said in a statement on social media. “With our democracy at stake and our future at stake, no one is better able to carry the case against Donald Trump’s dark vision and guide our country in a healthier direction than the Vice President of the United States.”
Newsom was widely regarded as Another potential replacement for Biden, though he repeatedly dismissed rumors that he harbored his own presidential aspirations. The governor served as A surrogate mother for the Biden campaign, crossing the country to support him and raise his own national profile.
But as speculation about Biden mounted in recent weeks, Newsom made clear he would not be running against Harris. “Absolutely,” Newsom said recently, when asked if he stood by comments he made last year about not running against Harris. “Yes.”
California Senators Alex Padilla and Laphonza Butler also expressed support for Harris.
“This is a woman who has dedicated her entire career to public service,” Butler said in an interview Sunday. “This is a woman who has never… backed down from a fight.”
Noticeably absent from Harris’s roster of supporters on Sunday was Pelosi, who applauded Biden as “a patriotic American who has always put our country first,” without mentioning the vice president.
The former House speaker reportedly fielded calls in recent weeks from Democrats who were upset by Biden’s disastrous debate performance and fearful for his reelection chances. Pelosi told fellow California Democrats last week that she would prefer the party engage in an open process to select a new nominee, rather than automatically choosing Harris, Politico reported.
Rep. Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) said he was confident Harris would become the nominee, but that some Democrats are debating the best way to make that happen.
“There are some national Democratic leaders who are very supportive of Kamala Harris, but they also strongly believe that there should be some sort of process,” Huffman said.
Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank), a close Pelosi confidant and another California leader in Congress, immediately threw his support behind Harris. Ship was the lead congressional leader calling for Biden's recall last week.
“She has the judgment, experience, leadership, and tenacity to take on Donald Trump and defeat him,” Schiff said in a statement Sunday. “I worked with her when she was attorney general, senator, and vice president, and I look forward to working with her as president.”
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Long Beach), who endorsed Harris's 2020 presidential bid and serves on Biden's national campaign committee, said he was “proud to endorse the vice president.”
“For California in particular, this is a huge step forward and an incredible day,” he said. “I think the entire state and the party are rallying around her and I think she will be the nominee in a couple of days.”
Though California’s political class is lining up behind Harris, delegates could still be up for grabs. Steve Maviglio, a Democratic political consultant who is an alternate delegate from Sacramento, said the delegates he spoke to are united in their desire to defeat Trump in November. The consensus, he said, is hope for “a seamless transfer from the Biden campaign to the Harris campaign.”
“I don’t think there is much desire for mini-primaries, four more weeks of unrest,” said Maviglio. “We want to make this a reality, let’s concentrate!”
In practice, she added, it would be impossible for another candidate to emerge and mount a proper fight against Trump in the next four months. Biden's campaign coffers are already being transferred to Harris. As vice president, Harris is also already familiar with major Democratic donors.
“It’s strange that people look back and say, ‘That’s historic. ’ But you feel like you’re living history right now, and it’s a very peculiar feeling,” Maviglio said. “I just hope that this doesn’t come back to haunt us.”
Times staff writers Noah Bierman and Seema Mehta contributed to this report.
