ADA SoCal 2018 Primary Endorsements
US Senate - Kevin De León: Dianne Feinstein has been as bad a Democratic Senator as our ever more progressive state could have. She has been the recipient of vast sums of corporate largesse from the Defense Industry, the Pharmaceutical Industry, the Health Insurance Industry among others. She has voted for every war or military action that the US has considered during her time in the Senate. She adamantly stands up for Spying on Americans, Incarcerating non-violent criminals as well as children as young as 13 years old. She opposes Medicare for All and legalized Marijuana. She ran for office on a pro-Death Penalty, anti-Immigrant platform and in 1995, authored a bill to build the same kind of wall with Mexico that we ridicule Donald Trump for touting. And she votes with the Trump and Republican agenda almost a third of the time. If we lived in Arkansas or Alabama, we'd feel lucky enough to have a Democratic Senator at all, even one who except for one or two signature issues, opposes almost everything Progressives stand for. But we're California and we can do better.
This year, she has drawn an opponent to the left of her who has a path to victory, albeit a narrow one. State Senate President Pro Tem Kevin De León has a very good chance to make the runoff, and though Feinstein is flush with campaign cash, if we Progressives unite, she might get to retire and let someone who is with us on Healthcare, the Environment and Immigration represent us in Washington.
US. Congress:
District 29 - Angela Dueñas: Tony Cardenas is part of a pay to play, corporate Democratic tradition that has left his constituents not as well served as his donors. Angelica Dueñas represents a powerful statement we can make that District 29 deserves someone who is not beholden to corporate interests!
CD 30 - John Pelzer: Brad Sherman is part of a pay to play, corporate Democratic tradition that has left his constituents not as well served as his donors. A vote for Jon Pelzer is a powerful statement we can make that District 30 deserves a representative who will actually represent
CD 44 - Nanette Barragán: Barragán has been a very effective US Representative. Now, Isadore Hall, the corporatist who opposed her in 2016, is behind a candidate opposing her who will answer to Hall's political machine.
CD 49 - Doug Applegate: Applegate almost beat Republican Darrell Issa in 2016, losing by just 1600 votes. Issa took the temperature of the district and realized he probably wouldn't win this one, so he bowed out, opening the door to a bought-and-paid for corporate Democrat to challenge Applegate. We're sticking with the Progressive in this race.
Attorney General - Dave Jones: Jones is an improvement over the current Attorney General in that he opposes the Death Penalty and supports Medicare for All, and isn't beholden to the incumbent's corporate donors.
Superintendent of Public Instruction - Tony Thurmond: Thurmond's opponent is Corporate Charter School advocate Marshall Tuck. Los Angeles already has more Charter Schools than any other city in the country - schools that are draining our public school system. We can't let the official in charge of California's Public Education follow Betsy De Vos' program of school privatization and evisceration of our public schools.
AD 43 - Laura Friedman: Laura Friedman has been doing a excellent job serving her community. She has distinguished herself on the Healthcare Select Committee, asking the tough questions of the Health Insurance Industry shills that Chair Jim Wood parades before them.
AD 46 - Adrin Nazarian: Nazarian is committed to the needs of his constituents and Californians over those of the corporations working to undermine them. He's almost always on the right side of the issues that matter.
AD 45 - Ankur Patel: We're very proud that ADA SoCal Board member Ankur Patel is running for the seat that Matt Debabneh had to step down from. Ankur is a brilliant, passionate advocate for progressive values and will make a welcome addition to the California Assembly. Help us replace a member of the "Mod Squad" with a Progressive!
AD 47 - Eloise Reyes: Reyes replaced a representative who was bought and paid for by the fossil fuel industry. ADA worked hard to elect her in 2016 and we enthusiastically support her reelection.
AD 54 - Steve Dunwoody: Dunwoody is running as a write-in candidate. He's a strong progressive who dared to enter this race before the corporatist incumbent stepped down.
LA County Board of Supervisors - Sheila Kuehl
County Assessor - Jeffrey Prang
The Election is June 5th. ADA will be adding more endorsements in the coming months. Please stay tuned and please get involved. 2018 could be a change election, but it won't be enough of a change if those who unseat Republicans aren't Progressives!
