Democrats Aim To Cash In On Anti-Trump Feelings Of Latinos
LOS ANGELES (AP) - California Democrats hope to cash in Tuesday at the polls against Republican members of Congress who are considered vulnerable to Latino sentiment against Donald Trump.
Statements involving immigration and Mexico by the presumptive GOP presidential nominee have raised hopes for Democrats in some districts with large Latino populations.
Those prospects have also exposed rifts between local and national Democratic leaders.
In the Los Angeles area, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee recruited attorney Bryan Caforio to run against Republican Steve Knight, while the California Democratic Party endorsed Lou Vince, a Los Angeles Police Department lieutenant, who trails in fundraising.
In the Central Valley, Republican David Valadao coasted to a second term in 2014 even though Republicans lag Democrats by 16 percentage points in voter registration.
Democrats Emilio Huerta, a Bakersfield attorney and son of labor icon Dolores Huerta, and Daniel Parra, a Fowler city councilman have kept their distance from national party leaders two years after that stinging loss.
An open primary approved by voters in 2010 sends the top two vote-getters to a November showdown, regardless of their political party.
Incumbents were expected to survive Tuesday, making the stakes more about creating key matchups in November in about a dozen of the 53 congressional contests.
Republicans hope to pick up a coastal district that includes Santa Barbara after the retirement of Democrat Lois Capps, who has represented the area for nearly 20 years. GOP competitors include state Assemblyman Katcho Achadjian and rancher Justin Fareed.
Democrats in the race include Santa Barbara County Supervisor Salud Carbajal, who is backed by Capps, and Santa Barbara Mayor Helene Schneider.
The Santa Barbara district leans Democratic but a strong GOP field in a wide-open race raised the possibility that two Republicans might advance.
Other prospects for Republican pickups include districts where incumbents alienated organized labor by siding with President Barack Obama on trade policy.
The voting Tuesday offers a preview of a likely showdown in the Sacramento area between two-term Democrat Ami Bera, who supported "fast-track" authority for Obama to negotiate the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, and Republican Scott Jones, a Sacramento County sheriff who enjoyed Teamsters backing until his support for Trump prompted the union to rescind its endorsement.
In San Diego, Republicans Denise Gitsham, a businesswoman, and Jacquie Atkinson, a defense consultant and former Marine, are fighting to advance against Democrat Scott Peters, who upset labor for supporting Obama on trade and has amassed more than $2 million for his campaign.
In the Central Valley, Republicans Johnny Tacherra, a Riverdale dairy farmer, and David Rogers, a Madera County supervisor, sought a slot against Democratic incumbent Jim Costa, who also supported Obama on trade.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.