State Senator Kevin de León got a boost over the weekend in his underdog campaign to unseat California’s U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein: an endorsement from the state Democratic Party. But it might not bring as much help as his backers hope.
De León used his connections from his four years leading the California Senate to trounce Feinstein, with 65 percent support from the party’s executive board.
The endorsement could sway undecided Democrats — particularly younger voters less familiar or impressed with Feinstein’s 25 years in the Senate. And former state party chairman John Burton says the party can now raise money jointly with De León. But he added:
“There will be some very strong Feinstein supporters of longtime, who will not be contributing to the party to spend against Dianne.”
Perhaps hoping to prevent that fundraising drop, a party official described a huge amount of reluctance to divert any resources away from Democratic efforts to retake the House of Representatives and reclaim a supermajority in the state Legislature. Translation: Even with its endorsement, the party’s help for De León may be limited.
Burton, by the way, has endorsed Feinstein’s re-election bid.
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This story was originally published by Capital Public Radio.