California Democrats are so split on who they will select to replace longtime Sen. Dianne Feinstein when she retires at the end of her term that they can’t even endorse a single wannabe successor.
Case-in-point: Attorney General Rob Bonta, who endorsed on Thursday both Rep. Katie Porter (D–Irvine) and Rep. Barbara Lee (D–Oakland) for Feinstein’s Senate seat.
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Driving the news: Porter put out a statement early Thursday morning touting Bonta’s support.
- But just a few hours later, Lee posted a Tweet of her own thanking Bonta for his support of her Senate bid.
- Lee also boasted the support of State Controller Malie Cohen, State Treasurer Fiona Ma and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond.
- All of this is happening while Feinstein finally returned to the Senate this week after months away due to medical issues.
The odd man out: While Porter and Lee celebrated the split endorsement from Bonta, the other high profile Democrat in the race appears to have been left out of the picture.
- Rep. Adam Schiff (D–Burbank) did not make an announcement of his own, meaning Bonta has only endorsed two-thirds of the candidates in the race so far.
What they’re saying: “Katie Porter is smart, tough, and unafraid to take on special interests in order to deliver for Californians,” Bonta said in a statement.
- Lee’s announcement did not include a statement from Bonta.
