4 Takeaways From California's Democratic Convention

The annual California Democratic Convention is typically filled with passion and drama, although its influence is debatable. Attendees tend to be activists who don’t necessarily represent a cross-section of Democrats or the state.

Posted 4:50 p.m. Feb 26, 2018 — Updated 4:50 p.m. Feb 26, 2018

ADAM NAGOURNEY

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MATT STEVENS, New York Times

Keeping that in mind, here are a few of our takeaways from this weekend’s session in San Diego.

1. Sen. Dianne Feinstein is not a particularly popular figure in this crowd; she is viewed as too moderate and Old Guard. No one expected her to get the 60 percent of delegate votes needed to capture the state party endorsement.

That said, her showing — 37 percent — was something of a shock and reminder of structural weaknesses in her candidacy at a time when the party is moving left and wants change. Her opponent, Kevin de León, the Senate Democratic leader, got 54 percent. Still, Feinstein’s lead in statewide polls, financial advantage and her good will with party leaders suggests she shouldn’t be sounding alarm bells. Yet.

2. John Chiang, the state treasurer running for governor, invoked in his speech high-profile affairs that involved two of his main opponents, Gavin Newsom, the lieutenant governor, and Antonio R. Villaraigosa, the former mayor of Los Angeles. Their well-documented episodes may seem a bit tame compared with many of the recent #MeToo stories, but Chiang made clear he thought this could undermine their effectiveness in dealing with the issue.

“You deserve a governor you can trust — a governor with the credibility to go after sexual harassment,” he said.

3. And maybe Chiang is on to something, at least with this crowd. Polls have shown this contest to be between Newsom and Villaraigosa, but Chiang came in second in the delegate balloting, with 30 percent. Newsom drew 39 percent, while Villaraigosa got 9 percent. It seems a good bet we have not heard the end of this line of attack.

4. De León seemed to come close to invoking Feinstein’s age, 84, a sensitive issue but one that comes up often among Democrats who think it’s time for her to step aside.

“California’s greatness comes from acts of human audacity, not congressional seniority,” he said.

Given his strong showing, we might be hearing more of this.

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