ShareDemocratic convention showcases 2 rising stars
Juliet WilliamsThis weekend's gathering of California Democrats showcased two of the party's rising stars, with state Attorney General Kamala Harris and Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom showing off their formidable political skills and contrasting approaches as the state's majority party prepares for an eventual changing of the guard.
Harris and Newsom are telegenic and charismatic, and both quiet a room when they take the microphone. They are among the most admired young leaders in their party and are viewed as the most likely candidates for governor in 2018 _ or sooner, if Gov. Jerry Brown opts not to seek a second term _ or U.S. Senate, should Sen. Dianne Feinstein win re-election and decide to step aside in the next few years.
Newsom, 44, is the former San Francisco mayor best known for issuing marriage licenses to gay couples eight years ago this Sunday, setting off a national debate about gay marriage that remains unresolved. He was elected lieutenant governor in 2010 after a short-lived run for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination before he yielded to Brown.
Harris, 47, narrowly won election as California's top law enforcement officer in 2010 after six years as San Francisco district attorney, beating Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley. She was a deputy district attorney in Alameda County from 1990 to 1998.
The two have been cast as political rivals for a decade, first in San Francisco, and now on a statewide stage, and draw much of their political strength from the same reservoir of voters and liberal causes. They also have the same political consultants.
They were two of the most dynamic speakers amid a long stream of addresses by elected officials on Saturday, the busiest day of the Democratic Party's weekend convention in San Diego. Both drew an audience of more than 2,000 when they took the stage.
Harris won the crowd over with a rousing speech just days after she announced that California had joined a nationwide settlement with the largest lenders over the foreclosure crisis. California, where the economy has been pummeled since the start of the recession, eventually stands to receive $18 billion from the terms of the settlement.
That amount was far more than most observers had predicted the state would get and billions beyond what was initially on the table, Harris said. Newsom was among those who had urged her to seek a bigger piece of the pie for California.
In her address to convention participants, Harris slammed what she called the faulty logic "that says AIG was too big to fail, but a regular family's home is too trifling to matter.
"In fact, I'll tell you what's too big to fail: I say it's our middle class that is too big to fail," she said, bringing the crowd to its feet as she recited a too-big-to-fail list that included quality public education, health care and women's rights. "California Democrats, when we pull together, we are too big to fail."
The end of her speech was met with thunderous applause.
Newsom also came into the weekend convention on a political high note, after the state Supreme Court ruled last week that Proposition 8, the 2010 voter-approved statewide measure banning gay marriage, was unconstitutional. Supporters are expected to challenge that decision, eventually to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Newsom called the changing tide on gay marriage a "generational call to action."
"It's about what's possible when we Democrats stand up on principle and move from `I wish' to `I will,' when we stop being well-behaved, biting our tongues, waiting our turn and stand up and fight for the things we believe in, regardless of the prevailing political winds," Newsom said to applause.
The different styles of Newsom and Harris also were on display during the weekend gathering. After the convention speeches, Harris hosted a relaxed, mid-afternoon "coffee with Kamala," serving cookies and coffee to supporters on a terrace overlooking San Diego Bay at the convention hotel. She gave a short speech thanking supporters for staying strong.
After extended hand-shaking in the hotel's hallways, Newsom played host on Saturday night to a crowd of young Democrats at a slick rooftop bar in San Diego's Gaslamp district. A star from the hit TV show Glee mingled with guests, while a hip hop artist spun records as guests danced and partied into the night. Blue, green and pink lights swirled over two giant Buddha statues, and the preferred Twitter hash tags for the night were posted next to several of the bars.
Some Democrats believe the competition is purely an asset.
"They're both superstars of the party, and I think a contest for governor or a Senate seat is bound to happen," said Shannon McKinley, 32, a senior policy consultant for state Assemblyman Sandre Swanson, D-Alameda.
She referenced the 2008 Democratic presidential primary, saying Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama came out stronger after the tough campaign season and said the Obama administration is stronger with Clinton as secretary of state.
"So if they clash, one will come out on top as battle-tested. But there's lots of room" for both of them, she said.
Others who are enamored of both worry about a political showdown in the future that will make one a loser.
"I think it would be a really, really tough decision because they're both really good," said Kathryn Burton, 57, of San Diego. "I wouldn't like seeing that very much. It could end up being kind of destructive. They are two people with great futures."
Inevitably, one of the two would have to step aside if they wanted to run for the same office.
For the moment, Harris seems to have the upper hand from her more powerful post in the attorney general's office. Brown launched his latest successful run for governor while he was attorney general.
Newsom is in a role with comparatively few responsibilities and limited public exposure. He has focused on initiatives to create jobs and has leveraged his positions on the boards of the University of California and California State University to criticize skyrocketing student tuition.
Susan Schoensee, 65, has long admired Newsom for his charisma, political savvy, speaking ability and appeal to "the working class." She was less familiar with Harris until she heard her speech Saturday, and Schoensee said her message resonated.
"They should not run against each other. They should each have a different space because they both need to be representing us," said Schoensee, who lives in the Northern California mountain community of Sattley, about 30 miles north of Truckee.
She said she wants Newsom to become governor. Asked where that would leave Harris, she said, "She's going to be the next president of the United States."
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Associated Press writer Elliot Spagat also contributed to this report