Election 2016, Barack Obama endorsed three Democrats in California Assembly races.
1. Al Muratsuchi for AD-66
2. Abigail Medina for AD-40
3. Cheryl Cook-Kallio for AD-16
How effective were his endorsements?
From the Sacramento Bee:
President Barack Obama, delivering on a promise to assist
legislative hopefuls across the country, swooped in Thursday to offer a rare
endorsement to a trio of Democratic candidates for the California Assembly.
Did he endorse Democrats in other states? How many?
He was looking for long-hanging fruit, presumably.
Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, in a congratulatory message
posted on social media, said Obama is backing former Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi,
D-Torrance, and fellow Democratic challengers Abigail Medina, a school board
member in San Bernardino, and ex-Pleasanton Councilwoman Cheryl Cook-Kallio.
Only these three Democrats.
Probably because Obama believed that these three seats were most likely to flip.
Keep in mind that this was a Presidential election year. There was a Democratic candidate at the top of the ticket. Her name was Hillary Clinton, but most Democrats called her Crooked Hillary.
Notice that no Democratic state candidate asked for her support. Some candidates wanted Bernie Sanders' backing, though.
“Thanks to (Obama) for his support of Democrats up and down
the ballot,” Rendon said. “As he recently reminded us, ‘Our progress is on the
ballot.’”
Democrats pushing progress? The best one-liner of the day.
A reminder about Rendon:
Cook-Kallio is running against Assemblywoman Catharine Baker
of Dublin, while Medina is trying to unseat Assemblyman Marc Steinorth of
Rancho Cucamonga.
Catharine Baker won re-election.
So did Marc Steinorth.
Obama enjoys high approval ratings across parts of
California – 60 percent in a new statewide poll out Wednesday – so his seal of
approval could prove pivotal for the Assembly campaigns. Democrats are
campaigning to restore their two-thirds supermajorities in both houses, which
would allow them to raise taxes and pass specific types of legislation without
Republican support.
The Sacramento Bee doesn't seem to have a problem with raising taxes. Where do they think this money will come from?
Kerry Townsend Jacob, a spokeswoman for Muratsuchi, who is
in a rematch with Republican David Hadley, said he planned to feature Obama’s
support in several aspects of the campaign, from mailers and web ads to
leaflets distributed by door-to-door canvassers.
Yes, and they weren't very well-done,
Muratsuchi said he was proud of the endorsement.
“I am the candidate who will protect a woman’s right to
choose and Planned Parenthood funding, create jobs and improve our public
schools. I will also stand up to powerful special interests to fight for clean
air, water, and beaches,” he said in a statement.
Al Muratsuchi does not believe in a woman's right to choose a good job, or a good school for her children. All this abortionist talk is very sad. Who is going to pay for Planned Parenthood's murderous spree against unborn children.
Why do voters support this destruction? Surely South Bay residents are more interested in security, integrity, and a little bit of honesty from their elected officials.
Final Reflection
It's worth noting that even though Hillary Clinton won California, Obama's endorsements weren't really meaningful.
Only Al Muratsuchi won re-election, and even then he was running against a hard-working legislator who went out of his way to connect with as many constituents as possible. He had millions of special interest dollars invading the district.
Obama was an afterthought.
Keep in mind that Catharine Baker was running in a D+9 district for state assembly, and she won.
Marc Steinorth was a more worrisome contest, but he made it.
Obama's blessing doesn't mean much!
Why didn't his endorsements matter?
They came out very late in the election season.
Everyone was focusing on the Presidential election
