State Sen. Kevin de Leon was endorsed Saturday for the U.S. Senate by the California Democratic Party’s Executive Board over fellow Democrat Sen. Dianne Feinstein.
De Leon, D-Los Angeles, received 217 votes, 65 percent, to 22 for Feinstein, 7 percent, while 94 board members at the meeting in Oakland voted for no endorsement, 28 percent.
A candidate needed to receive 60 percent of vote to receive the endorsement.
“First, to the members of the California Democratic Party, this is your victory,” de Leon said.
“Earning the endorsement of so many leaders and activists of the California Democratic Party isn’t just an honor and a privilege; today’s vote is a clear-eyed rejection of politics as usual in Washington, D.C.
“Through years of hard-won progress, we have proven to the world that California can forge a path for the rest of the nation.
“The nation’s most accomplished Democratic Party is leading the call for a new generation of leadership who will fight to advance a bold agenda. I have never been more committed to giving every Californian a real opportunity to succeed.
“We have presented Californians with the first real alternative to the worn-out Washington playbook in a quarter-century. As the California Democratic Party’s endorsed candidate, I renew my call for a debate.”
Feinstein campaign manager Jeff Millman downplayed the loss of the endorsement, citing the results from the June 5 primary, when Feinstein received 44.2 percent of the vote and de Leon 12.1 percent.
“While 217 delegates expressed their view today, Senator Feinstein won by 2.1 million votes and earned 70 percent of the Democratic vote in the California primary election, carrying every county by double digits over her opponent,” Millman said.
“We are confident that a large majority of California Democrats will vote to re-elect Senator Feinstein in November.”
The vote was taken Saturday because no candidate received the required 60 percent of the vote at the party’s state convention in February.
De Leon received 54 percent of the vote at the convention and the 85-year-old Feinstein, who has been a member of the U.S. Senate since 1992, 37 percent of the vote.