‘Pay’ for an endorsement? L.A.’s Democratic clubs under scrutiny this election cycle In case your club doesn’t have a pro-choice endorsement, you might be trying to pay for it. On the Democratic side, some clubs are under scrutiny for their lack of support for abortion rights in the upcoming election. Here’s a look at what clubs you can vote for in the Los Angeles area.
The party’s endorsement process is a lengthy one, with at least one club leader arguing that Democrats should support the candidates endorsed by Democrats for president.
“Not to be a Debbie Downer, but who doesn’t want to have a Democratic club that supports our nominee in the general election?” said Nancy Tumlin, who heads the Democratic Clubs of San Francisco and San Diego, in a phone interview with The Times.
That’s because the Democrats are fighting to represent those who don’t support abortion rights, Tumlin said. “We’re going to have to work hard to make sure that we’re not just Democrats who support abortion rights,” she said.
It’s that kind of hard work that is being questioned at the moment, said Lisa Levenson, the executive director of the Democratic Club of Orange County, in an interview with The Times.
And it is not just members voting for the endorsements. The board, which consists of five Democrats and three independents, makes the endorsements.
That’s an important distinction because “it’s not about the voters,” Levenson said.
“It’s about the board of directors, as a whole.”
The board will determine the endorsements by how the club votes, Levenson said.
Tumlin said that for the past two years, the club has supported the presidential campaigns of Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards, according to the club’s board minutes.
But this year, Tumlin said club members are undecided, and have not formed an opinion on Democratic candidates or their policies.
“In some cases, they don’t need to,” Tumlin said. “Some of the votes have been cast already. So there is a chance that we can reverse and vote for Obama. But in the end, it’s up to the board. It’s about what the board thinks.”
Levenson said that on Jan. 18, the board will vote to endorse one or more Democratic candidates.
