A Unified San Diego Progressive Community Calls Out A Congressional Progressive Caucus That Seems To Be Merging With The New Dems These Days

Skelton, Levin, Lechner-- California bad guys

Mike Levin represents all the worst of the Democratic Party. He was a Countrywide attorney who worked on cases to kick people out of their homes. Now he's running for Congress at the urging of sleazy plutocrat Ira Lechner and Parke Skelton, California's shadiest political consultant-- and his congressional puppets. Levin, a Hillary Clinton fundraiser in 2016, never did anything to help in the battle to oust Darrell Issa. But once Lechner explained how "easy" it would be to beat Issa after Doug Applegate had so grievously wounded him, he suddenly jumped into the race. With Lechner working the Pelosi circles and Skelton slithering around and spreading his poisonous lies about Applegate, Levin managed to secure the endorsement of the recently less than stellar Congressional Progressive Caucus, which has been endorsing cruddy New Dems and Blue Dogs of late, from free-spending Vicente Gonzalez to NRA fanatic and New Dem Darren Soto. San Diego's progressive community sent the Congressional Progressive Caucus an open letter asking them to rescind their ill-advised endorsement of Levin.

We, the progressive community of San Diego County, as represented by the San Diego Progressive Democratic Club, the California Young Democrats Progressive Caucus, the Executive Board of the California Democratic Party Progressive Caucus, the California Democratic Party Veterans Caucus, California Democratic Party Arab American Caucus, Our Revolution-San Diego, and the undersigned Democratic clubs, are extremely disappointed in the Congressional Progressive Caucus’ decision to endorse Mike Levin for the 49th Congressional District. This is the latest in a string of endorsements for Mike Levin from well-respected progressive organizations, including the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, Democracy for America, the California League of Conservation Voters, and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus BOLD PAC, and we feel we can no longer remain silent on this trend.

The CPC has chosen to wade into a highly competitive primary in which the California Democratic Party was unable to make an endorsement, and backed a candidate who lacks both the approval of the progressive grassroots and the support of the voters. Furthermore, the candidate in question has been engaged in conduct wholly unbefitting of the CPC’s backing. Since entering the race last year, Mike Levin has engaged in a persistent whisper campaign against Doug Applegate, the frontrunner who nearly defeated Darrell Issa in 2016. In an attempt to consolidate the support of CDP delegates to earn the party endorsement, he and his staff have continually stoked the same malicious slander and false rumors Issa employed against Applegate in the last cycle- even as these rumors have been debunked time and again by those involved.

However, local Democratic clubs have seen this conduct for what it is. The Democratic Woman’s Club of San Diego County, the Palomar College Democrats, Democrats of MiraCosta College, Saddleback Young Democrats, College Democrats at CSU San Marcos, and Mission Vista High School Democratic Club, additionally citing persistent bullying and intimidation on the part of staff and surrogates throughout the endorsement process, have all rated Mike Levin unacceptable: believing his conduct to be unbecoming of a Democrat seeking federal office.

In addition, despite consolidating support from elected members of Congress and Democratically-aligned PACs, Mike Levin consistently polls well behind Doug Applegate, who came within 1,621 votes of victory last cycle. No publicly released poll has shown Levin in the lead, and he fares worse than Applegate in head-to-head matchups with any of the potential Republican opponents according to every single poll carried out for this district. Throughout the California Democratic Party Convention, speaker after speaker stressed the importance of unifying behind the frontrunner to ensure we avoid splitting the vote. The CPC’s choice to endorse Mike Levin, rather than the frontrunner, renders these words hollow.

Lastly, Doug Applegate’s bona fides are self-evident. His proud embrace of Medicare for All and other progressive priorities during the 2016 cycle-- when the 49th was still believed to be a “moderate Republican” district-- speaks louder than any call for such policies this time around. The California Nurses Association, State Senate pro tem Toni Atkins, Justice Democrats, VoteVets, and a wide swath of labor unions and Democratic clubs all across San Diego and Orange County have thrown their support behind Applegate. And his experience as a retired Marine Colonel adds weight to his call to end our wars abroad and connects with our 50,000 plus military households (see Census Bureau data) in CA-49.

In conclusion, the Congressional Progressive Caucus’ choice to endorse Mike Levin is wholly unrepresentative of the progressive community here in Southern California and appears to be entirely based on fundraising and connections. But no matter how much money he raises, he cannot buy the support of the grassroots.

We, the undersigned, ask the CPC to withdraw their support for Mike Levin.

San Diego Progressive Democratic Club
California Young Democrats Progressive Caucus
California Democratic Party Progressive Caucus – Executive Board
California Democratic Party Veterans Caucus
California Democratic Party Arab American Caucus
Our Revolution-San Diego
San Diego Democrats for Equality
Palomar College Democrats
Democrats of MiraCosta College
Saddleback Young Democrats
College Democrats at CSU San Marcos
Mission Vista High School Democrats