The full candidate list for the CA-37 special election is now official. As previously mentioned, this district, based around Long Beach and taking in towns like Compton and Carson, is safely Democratic, and became vacant when Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald (D) died of cancer at the age of 68 last month.
But now we know the candidates, and the dynamics leading up to the June 26 primary will be...interesting, at best...
The top-tier Democratic candidates are as follows:
- Jenny Oropeza, State Senator
- Valerie McDonald, daughter of the late Congresswoman
- Laura Richardson, State Assemblywoman
And the also-rans:
- Mervin Evans (D)
- Lee Davis (D)
- Felicia Ford (D)
- Bill Francisco Grisolia (D)
- Peter Mathews (D)
- George Parmer, Jr. (D)
- Jeffrey Price (D)
- Ed Wilson (D)
- L.J. Guillory (R)
- John Kanaley (R)
- Lincoln Leavitt (R)
- Gwen Patrick (R)
- Teri Ramirez (R)
- Daniel Abraham Brezenoff (G)
- Herb Peters (L)
- Al Salehi Agassi (I)
First the good news: this is a very safe Dem district where we really can be looking for the most qualified and progressive candidate to back. Also good for diversity's sake, the next Representative for California's 37th is almost sure to be a woman, and of a minority ethnic group, as all three frontrunners match that description. Sorry, I think diversity is ALWAYS good.
Now the bad news: Which minority group she is from is going to be a contentious issue. One would hope that Democrats, especially Southern California Democrats, would be above this, but apparently it is not always so.
The problem in this primary lies in the fact that this is a very diverse district with no clear majority ethnic group. It was originally drawn as an opportunity district for African-Americans under the Voting Rights Act, but population shifts have gradually made Hispanics the plurality of the district's population (though black voters still outnumber Hispanic ones). This has created a rather unfortunate rift between the black community, which is committed to preserving its four opportunity districts in California, and the Hispanic community, which is underrepresented in Congress and eager to make gains.
Now, the way this election will work is this: all candidates compete in a jungle primary on June 26. But unlike Louisiana, the top two vote-getters don't advance to the August 21 runoff. No, the top vote-getter from each party will advance. So the runoff will inevitably be a Democrat versus Republican versus Brezenoff, Peters, and Agassi. And since the district is so safely Democratic, the real scuffle will be which Democrat can come out on top, not the August 21 runoff.
The math in how this primary breaks down statistically is unclear, which only makes the tensions worse. Undoubtedly the registration numbers would favor a black candidate like McDonald or Richardson, but Hispanic numbers may be strong enough now that an even split between McDonald and Richardson would be enough for an Oropeza victory.
Of course, I don't care which ethnic group represents CA-37. I find it really sad that we are still living these political realities. So all I have to say is, may the best woman win.