Calif. Democratic Party Slaps its Voters in the Face Again. We’re voting Jane Kim Anyway!

Long story short. In California’s only Dem vs Dem statewide race this November – the one for Insurance Commissioner (seems hardly ANYONE wants a Republican insurance commissioner) – the state Democrat Party’s Executive Committee just decided to endorse the SECOND-PLACE WINNER. Because the first-place winner, Jane Kim, is a dread “progressive” who aims to create fundamental change in California’s insurance system.

CAN’T HAVE THAT! Says the California Democrat Party. Even if that’s what California’s voters, California’s Democrat and independent voters, said they want. Jane Kim received 27% of the primary vote, nearly 700,000 more votes than Senator Ben Allen who got only 16%. But still.

Jane has an “insurance for all” platform, that would aim to create a state-run, single-payer disaster insurance program, and that is what most Democrat voters chose. But the gatekeepers of the CDP say NO, we are wrong, we should vote for Ben Allen who pledges to “sometimes WORK WITH the private insurance industry and sometimes fight them.” I.E. more of the same.

Electability and all, you know – we can’t risk going too far to the left and losing swing voters to a dread Republican. OH WAIT, NOT A FACTOR HERE! Well, what IS the factor, how DOES the CDP E-board determine that we voters are wrong? It seems, the Party doesn’t want to piss of the insurance profiteers and risk them spending money against them. What happened to FDR’s vaunted “I welcome their hatred”???

We can’t have good things, say our Party’s gatekeepers. Even here in blue, blue California. Even now in the Age of Mamdani, on the week Abdul El-Sayed took Michigan, Jane Kim is too extreme. And instead Ben Allen joins the uninspiring, business-as-usual CDP ticket from Becerra for Governor and crooked Fiona Ma for LG to charter-school-backed School Superintendent Richard Barrera and career politician Umberg at Equalization. No wonder Democrats are unmoved to vote in off-year elections.

Same CDP that wants us to vote for David Penaloza for Assembly – David who’s funded by Artificial Intelligence giants and Krypto billionaires and opposes rent control and police reform – over the people’s candidate Jessie Lopez. THAT CDP. The Party’s stamp of approval is, as often as not, a mark of shame. WE KNOW BETTER.

Here’s Jane Kim’s statement:

“Over the weekend, the Executive Board of the California Democratic Party voted to endorse my opponent.  This was decided behind closed doors, by just a three-vote margin. 

“In June, Democratic primary voters chose our campaign by a margin of nearly 700,000 votes.  I earned more votes than my opponent in 52 out of 58 counties, including his home county by a double-digit margin.

“We won the primary because families across California are tired of getting priced out of our economy.  Working people know that my opponent means business as usual, while I will fight like hell to make California more affordable.

“And I am so proud of and grateful for our grassroots support within the California Democratic Party, including the majority of CADEM Caucus Chairs and Regional Directors, the California Young Democrats, California High School Democrats, Iranian American Democrats of California, California Armenian American Democrats, 27 chartered Democratic Clubs, and many more.

“It is a mistake – at a time when so many are feeling disillusioned with the Democratic Party – for a small group of Party leaders to endorse against the will of Democratic voters.

“Here’s the truth: this race will be decided in living rooms across California by voters sick of the status quo, not in a ballroom by the Party establishment.

“Californians are demanding change.  It isn’t going to come from politics as usual or backroom deals for a status quo, corporate-backed candidate.

“It’s going to come from working people standing together – and we’re just getting started.”

Jane Kim.

Or if you wanna see it on Instagram so you can read the lively ensuing discussion: