Local members of the California Democratic Party spent the weekend selecting which candidates to preliminarily endorse for Congress and the state Legislature in November, including those planning to run in South Bay seats.
Results are expected to certified by the end of the week, with formal endorsements expected next month during the state party’s annual convention in San Diego.
Rep. Janice Hahn beat out Rep. Laura Richardson for the state Democratic Party’s endorsement in the new 44th Congressional District, which encompasses South Gate, Lynwood, Compton, Carson, Wilmington and San Pedro.
The race promises to be highly contentious between Hahn, who was elected to Congress in a special election held last July, and Richardson, a three-term Democrat who is facing a House ethics investigation.
Rep. Maxine Waters, the sole Democrat who has announced her plan to run in the new 43rd Congressional District, also snagged the party’s endorsement. The veteran congresswoman is hoping to represent an area that includes Inglewood, Lennox, Lawndale, Hawthorne, Lomita, the east side of Torrance and Los Angeles International Airport.
The party also endorsed Rep. Henry Waxman, the only Democrat running in the new 33rd Congressional District, which runs from his home in Beverly Hills, stretches to Malibu and hugs the coast down to the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
Waxman, a powerful fixture in Congress since 1975, found himself in a new congressional district that switched from his Westside base to the South Bay, thanks to redistricting.
State Sen. Roderick Wright won the Democratic Party’s endorsement over Paul Butterfield in the new 35th Senate District, which includes Inglewood, Lennox, Hawthorne, Compton, Gardena, Lawndale, Carson, Wilmington, San Pedro and the Port of Los Angeles.
Torrance school board member Al Muratsuchi snagged an endorsement as the sole Democrat running in the new 66th Assembly District, which includes Manhattan Beach, Gardena, Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, Torrance, Lomita, the Palos Verdes Peninsula and the community known as West Carson.
Assemblywoman Bonnie Lowenthal beat out Long Beach City Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske and former Long Beach Councilwoman Tonia Uranga for the party’s endorsement in the new 70th Assembly District, which includes San Pedro, Wilmington, Catalina and Long Beach.
Assemblyman Isadore Hall, who dropped out of the congressional race between Hahn and Richardson, won the party’s nod as the only known Democrat running in the new 64th Assembly District, which includes Carson, Harbor City, Harbor Gateway, Compton and the north end of Wilmington.
The party also agreed to endorse Assemblyman Steven Bradford, the only Democrat who has announced a run for the new 62nd Assembly District, which takes in El Segundo, Inglewood, Lennox, Lawndale, Hawthorne and LAX.
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