Sunday’s Historic Delegate Caucuses Proved California Democrats are Ready to Take Back the White House

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Art Torres
Chair
California Democratic Party

Hundreds of Democrats – in some locations nearly a thousand voters – lined up at the doors. Long time party activists campaigned alongside college students who were too young to vote in the 2004 presidential election. School kids passed out flyers, volunteers made last-minute calls at phone banks, and candidates handed out stickers, buttons and even cupcakes and cookies to those whose votes they sought.

Such was the scene on Sunday afternoon at Congressional district-level delegate selection caucus sites up and down California, from Eureka to Chula Vista. More than 23,000 Democrats showed up Sunday afternoon across the state to support the more than 2,500 candidates who were vying for 241 slots to represent California in Denver this August.

Sunday’s turnout was truly unprecedented, and served as a clear reflection of the excitement and enthusiasm this presidential campaign has inspired in the Golden State. Since I became Chair of the California Democratic Party in 1996, I have never seen such an incredible outpouring of Democratic activists at Congressional district-level delegate selection caucuses.

When all the votes were cast and the ballots counted, California Democrats had done much more than simply select names and faces to represent our state in Denver this summer; we had managed to even further build upon what has already been a momentous year for our Party. We shattered the Democratic registration record prior to the February 5th primary, we saw record turnout in the primary itself, and then Ventura County and Stanislaus County flipped from “red” to “blue” counties.

Momentum is clearly on our side.

We should be proud of California Democrats for recognizing what is at stake for our state, our nation and our world in this Presidential election. Not everyone can attend the Democratic National Convention this year, but everyone can participate from now until Election Day on November 4, 2008 to help elect a Democratic President.