Kamala Harris thought she had secured her position as the frontrunner for the Democratic Senate nomination.
But stiff competition from Rep. Loretta Sanchez could change that:
California Attorney General Kamala Harris has already declared her intent to run and is considered a strong frontrunner.
Harris has collected a number of high-profile endorsements in the state but Sanchez could pull support away from her by tapping into the more moderate voters in the state and the growing Latino voter population.
Sanchez is a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus — and could likely rely on strong support from Hispanics nationwide for fundraising and voter turnout. Any primary challenge would still be an uphill battle for the veteran lawmaker, who has served in Congress since 1997. A February poll gave Harris a commanding lead in name recognition over a wide field of Democratic challengers.
Loretta Sanchez hasn’t shied away from criticizing Attorney General Kamala Harris either.
“I believe we have experience that Kamala does not have,” Sanchez said of Harris, a former San Francisco district attorney.
“Look, in a very dangerous world, and a very scary world that we’re in, I’ve got 19 years of sitting on Armed Services and Homeland Security” committees, Sanchez continued. “In the Senate, (you) need somebody who already understands what’s going on. I don’t have any ramp-up. … We can’t afford somebody who’s never – who doesn’t understand what’s going on in the world.”
Shots fired.
Sanchez criticized the California Attorney General further:
Sanchez also noted that Harris cannot speak the language, arguing that the attorney general will not have the ability to understand or communicate with a significant share of the state’s population.
However, Kamala Harris does have a distinct advantage on her side: for now, she still has the upper hand in fundraising:
California Democrat Kamala Harris raised $2.5 million in the first quarter of her bid to succeed retiring Sen. Barbara Boxer and ended the quarter with $2.2 million on hand.
It’s a formidable haul, but just the beginning of what the second-term attorney general will need to raise to build her profile in the expensive and expansive state.
There is definitely a high probability of yet another bloody Democratic Senate primary battle brewing. Stay tuned.