June 22, 2020
Dear Governor Newsom:
The imperative of defeating Donald Trump will require notable willingness of Democratic Party leaders to go beyond politics as usual. Calls for unity must be accompanied by genuine messages and realities of inclusion that can appeal to disaffected progressive voters.
The fact that Bernie Sanders received appreciably more votes in the California primary than any other candidate is one of the reasons why a vast majority of the state's district-level Sanders delegates -- elected two weeks ago -- have signed a statement calling for Ro Khanna to be the chair of California's delegation to the Democratic National Convention. The statement noted that, as a former national co-chair of the Bernie 2020 campaign, Congressman Khanna "would be well-positioned to serve as a voice for authentic unity" behind a ticket headed by Joe Biden. Endorsers of the statement included the California Nurses Association
Selection of Congressman Khanna as chair of the California delegation -- setting aside tradition and power politics in favor of fairness and a democratic process -- would send an uplifting message nationwide. On the other hand, preventing a proper election for chair by delegates at the upcoming June 28 statewide meeting would convey to many progressives and others across the country that inclusion and transparency have remained more rhetoric than reality from powerful party leaders.
We ask you to join with us in supporting a truly democratic process for nominating candidates and electing one of them to be the chair of California's delegation to the national convention. Anything short of such a process will have negative impacts -- not only among California party activists and others who supported Senator Sanders in the primary but also among progressives nationwide.
Given our shared interest in creating as much authentic unity as possible behind the Democratic Party's nominee to defeat Trump, it is essential that we avoid a replay of what happened in 2016 when the party establishment was correctly perceived as using non-transparent and anti-democratic tactics against Sanders supporters. We urge you to ensure that no such story emerges from California when the state's delegation chair is selected.
Respectfully,
Our Revolution
Progressive Democrats of America
RootsAction.org
Dear Governor Newsom:
The imperative of defeating Donald Trump will require notable willingness of Democratic Party leaders to go beyond politics as usual. Calls for unity must be accompanied by genuine messages and realities of inclusion that can appeal to disaffected progressive voters.
The fact that Bernie Sanders received appreciably more votes in the California primary than any other candidate is one of the reasons why a vast majority of the state's district-level Sanders delegates -- elected two weeks ago -- have signed a statement calling for Ro Khanna to be the chair of California's delegation to the Democratic National Convention. The statement noted that, as a former national co-chair of the Bernie 2020 campaign, Congressman Khanna "would be well-positioned to serve as a voice for authentic unity" behind a ticket headed by Joe Biden. Endorsers of the statement included the California Nurses Association
Selection of Congressman Khanna as chair of the California delegation -- setting aside tradition and power politics in favor of fairness and a democratic process -- would send an uplifting message nationwide. On the other hand, preventing a proper election for chair by delegates at the upcoming June 28 statewide meeting would convey to many progressives and others across the country that inclusion and transparency have remained more rhetoric than reality from powerful party leaders.
We ask you to join with us in supporting a truly democratic process for nominating candidates and electing one of them to be the chair of California's delegation to the national convention. Anything short of such a process will have negative impacts -- not only among California party activists and others who supported Senator Sanders in the primary but also among progressives nationwide.
Given our shared interest in creating as much authentic unity as possible behind the Democratic Party's nominee to defeat Trump, it is essential that we avoid a replay of what happened in 2016 when the party establishment was correctly perceived as using non-transparent and anti-democratic tactics against Sanders supporters. We urge you to ensure that no such story emerges from California when the state's delegation chair is selected.
Respectfully,
Our Revolution
Progressive Democrats of America
RootsAction.org
