Over the weekend, California Democrats gathered at their state convention to endorse candidates up and down the ballot. The party's official seal of approval carries with it one meaningful benefit: Endorsees are listed by name on the sample ballot that gets sent out to all voters, which, for the lucky beneficiaries, is almost like having someone else pay for a mailer to every voter in their district. (These same candidates can, of course, also include information about their endorsement in their own literature and advertisements.)
For the most part, these endorsements unfold with little drama, since incumbents almost always get the party's support. Where they tend to matter most is in open seat races, where building up name recognition is hardest. We'll run down some of the most notable congressional contests below (you can find a full list of endorsements here):
CA-07: Rep. Ami Bera was the only sitting Democrat who was at any real risk of not winning an endorsement, thanks to his support for so-called "fast track" trade promotion authority, which has earned the ire of organized labor. It would have been an unpleasant black eye, but in the end, Bera, who doesn't face any Democratic opposition, still got the nod, after a plea to delegates from Nancy Pelosi. He'll square off against Republican Scott Jones, the sheriff of Sacramento County, in what will be a hotly contested race in November.
CA-17: Democratic Rep. Mike Honda faces a stiff rematch against former Commerce Dept. official Ro Khanna, a fellow Democrat, and a lot of former Honda allies have abandoned him the second time around. Not, however, the state party, which once again gave its blessing to Honda.
CA-20: Open seats typically attract a lot of attention, especially if they're safe districts. But after Rep. Sam Farr announced his retirement, the only Democrat to announce a bid was prosecutor Jimmy Panetta—who just so happens to be the son of ex-Rep. Leon Panetta, the man who represented this seat before Farr. No one seems interested in testing the younger Panetta, and the party awarded him its endorsement.
CA-21: Two Democrats are running to unseat GOP Rep. David Valadao, but Democrats declined to back either Fowler City Councilman Daniel Parra or attorney Emilio Huerta, who is the son of labor leader Dolores Huerta. That's a victory for Huerta: Parra had looked set to win the party's backing, but Huerta's successful maneuvering denied Parra the endorsement. Parra has frustrated national Democrats with his weak fundraising, while Huerta is still untested in this area.
CA-24: Santa Barbara County Supervisor Salud Carbajal has won almost universal support from the Democratic establishment for this open seat. Carbajal sealed the deal with his party's endorsement, even though he faces another Democrat, Santa Barbara Mayor Helene Schneider. This district isn't a lock for Democrats, but Carbajal would be favored in the general election.
CA-25: While DC Democrats have shown some interest in the candidacy of attorney Bryan Caforio, local Democrats have rallied around Agua Dulce Town Councilman Lou Vince, and now state Democrats have done the same. The two are trying to defeat GOP Rep. Steve Knight.
CA-44: State Sen. Isadore Hall has also done a good job locking down establishment backing, and he earned the party's nod as well. Hall, however, still faces a showdown for this dark blue open seat with ex-Hermosa Beach City Councilwoman Nanette Barragan, who has been endorsed by EMILY's List.
CA-46: In a bit of a surprise, Democrats declined to pick sides in this solidly blue open seat. Former state Sen. Lou Correa has won the lion's share of endorsements from public officials, but that evidently wasn't enough to put him over the top. Two other notable Democrats, Garden Grove Mayor Bao Nguyen and former state Sen. Joe Dunn, are also running.