About 1,000 pro-Palestinian protesters disrupted the California Democratic Party Convention on Nov. 18 in Sacramento, causing leaders to temporarily lock down the building.
Security guards locked entrances to the SAFE Credit Union Convention Center shortly after voting ended for party endorsements, the party said on social media.
California Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks said he was deeply saddened and disappointed by the protests that intimidated and harassed Jewish delegates and guests and caused meetings and events to be canceled.
“We as California Democrats uphold the constitutionally-protected right to free speech and freedom of expression as sacred,” Mr. Hicks wrote to delegates the next day in a letter that was provided to The Epoch Times. “But, exercising those rights with violence, intimidation, harassment, or bullying has no place in our Party or in our communities. Antisemitism and Islamophobia have no place in our Party or in our communities.”
The party canceled caucus meetings, hospitality suites, and a VoteFest at the convention center after protestors took over the lobby.
The chair also condemned any acts of violence that bring harm to their “neighbors” and divide people from one another.
The party initiated an investigation into the events and will take appropriate action, Mr. Hicks said in the letter to delegates. Any delegates who participated in or aided the protest activities will be held accountable, he said.
Demonstrators disrupted a U.S. Senate candidates forum on Nov. 18, calling for a ceasefire in the Israel–Hamas war. A spokesperson for the protest said they did so because “most Democratic representatives are not respecting the very fierce desire” of constituents, according to The Associated Press.
“What’s happening in Gaza right now is genocide. And the Democrats are complicit in that,” Ayelet Hashachar, one of the protest leaders, told the AP.
Party delegates were unable to endorse any candidates for the competitive U.S. Senate race, after no candidate received 60 percent of the share of delegates. Rep. Barbara Lee, however, took first place in the voting with nearly 42 percent of the vote.
She is running in a tight race against Democrats Rep. Adam Schiff and Rep. Katie Porter and Republican Steve Garvey, among other candidates in the crowded field.
“I am incredibly proud and honored to receive the support of so many hard-working Democratic Party delegates,” Ms. Lee wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Nov. 18. “From day one, this campaign has been focused on delivering the progressive agenda that working people in California deserve: a Green New Deal, single-payer health care, and economic, racial, social, and environmental justice for all.”
If elected, Ms. Lee, of Oakland, would be 78 when she takes office.
Mr. Schiff leads with 16 percent support of voters in the U.S. Senate race, according to the latest Emerson College/Inside California Politics survey, published on Nov. 17. Ms. Porter was in second with 13 percent, followed by Mr. Garvey at 10 percent, and Ms. Lee at 9 percent.
The poll was conducted from Nov. 11 to Nov. 14 and sampled 1,000 registered voters by landline. Results have a margin of error of 3 percentage points.
Mr. Schiff, 63, of Burbank, who was censured by the House in June for misinformation regarding former President Donald Trump, didn’t make any comments about the convention vote that favored Ms. Lee but said he was thankful for the support.
“So grateful for all of the support from so many hundreds of delegates from all over the state, and the great work of volunteers and staff who made this weekend possible,” he wrote on X.
Mr. Garvey, 74, a former baseball player for the Los Angeles Dodgers, filed papers on Nov. 15 to join the field competing to succeed the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who died in office on Sept. 29. Ms. Feinstein had announced her decision to retire in February.
In October, Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Laphonza Butler, a Democratic Party political strategist, to serve the remainder of Ms. Feinstein’s term. A few weeks later, she announced she wouldn’t seek to run in the general election.
Voters will decide Ms. Feinstein’s official successor in November 2024. A primary election will be held on March 5; the top two candidates, regardless of party, will advance to the general election.
At age 83, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, who has served in Congress for more than 35 years, was again endorsed for her reelection bid to represent San Francisco in the House of Representatives. She first took office in 1987 and has served as Speaker of the House twice.
