[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

In the tight race for Senate District 3, Assemblymember Mark Leno scored a major endorsement today: Marin Congresswoman and progressive's progressive Lynn Woolsey.

"Mark Leno has built a strong record on behalf of the issues the people of my district care deeply about. I am proud to announce my support for him today," said Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey. "We can count on Mark to go to Sacramento and provide progressive leadership on the issues we all care about—a cleaner and more sustainable environment, universal, single-payer health care, better schools and access to affordable higher education."

"Congresswoman Woolsey's unwavering, progressive principles and steadfast leadership in Congress have proven invaluable to the families of Marin and Sonoma Counties," declared Assemblyman Mark Leno. "I am deeply honored by the faith and trust Congresswoman Woolsey has in me to represent the progressive democratic values of the North Bay in the State Senate. I look forward to partnering with her and working together on the challenging issues we face."

Woolsey's endorsement is a big deal, because she helps Leno corral the voters most out of reach for the Assemblymember. Leno is polling well, particularly in San Francisco proper, but Marin is former Assemblymember Joe Nation's turf, and of course, incumbent Senator Carole Migden has represented the region for the past four years.

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

State Senator Carole Migden (left), coming out of a harsh rebuke from party activists who refused to endorse her re-election, can at least run a legitimate campaignnow that a judge has allowed her to spend $640,000 in left-over funds,the San Francisco Chronicle reports. She still faces an uphill battleagainst Assembly members Mark Leno and Joe Nation though.

When Bill Clinton told convention-goers to last Sunday to "chill out"over the on-going race between his wife Hillary and Barack Obama, he could well have been talking to himself, according to the Chronicle. Prior to taking the stage, Bill had one ofhis meltdowns, turning red in the face and screaming over BillRichardson's endorsement of Obama.

Former Congressman Doug Ose is hitting primary opponent Tom McClintock hard for "carpetbagging"in a new campaign ad high-lighted by the Sacramento Bee. In the ad, anarrator accuses McClintock of shopping for a new job in the NorthernCalifornia Congressional district being vacated by John Doolittlerather than running in Ventura County, which he represented in theState Senate. Conviently missing: Ose doesn't live in the districteither. Details, details.

There's more... 

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

While supporters of Assemblyman Mark Leno and State Senator Carole Migden were engaged in a holy war with each other on the convention floor in San Jose on Saturday morning, I bumped into former Assemblymember Joe Nation. Nation and his campaign chief as they were leaving the convention hall. "I'm going to walk a precinct," he told me. "The more Leno and Migden go at it here, the better it is for me."

He may be right.

Migden and Leno slugged it out all weekend. Each spent thousands and deployed armies of volunteers in a city far away from the streets of San Francisco. The result was a  race that has gotten uglier than it already had been. You only need to watch a couple minutes of any of the videos posted here to see just how ugly, or have spent a few minutes in the convention hall to see the clash of the two campaigns.

Like her or not, State Senator Carole Migden is in a deep, dark unspinnable place. Her failure to garner the California Democratic Party's nomination -- combined with her high-profile battle with the state's campaign watchdog and self-inflicted personal woes -- has pushed the incumbent to the political wall.

Still, nobody should count her out.

There's more...

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

At right, California Democratic Party Chair Art Torres with long time parliamentarian Joel Wyatt advising while votes were counted in Migden-Leno endorsement contest

By Frank D. Russo

The California State Democratic Convention of 2008 finished its business by voting 742 to 298 (71.3%) to vacate the endorsement of incumbent Senator Carole Migden for the 3rd Senate District. A substitute motion to endorse Mark Leno failed, getting only 60.3% of the vote, with 75% needed for endorsement from the floor.

Following this issue—the most contentious one in an otherwise virtual love fest amongst California Democrats—the body approved by a voice vote the consent calendar comprising the remaining endorsements

In another vote on the 40th Assembly District, the convention overruled a district caucus recommendation to endorse bob Blumenfeld. There are four Democratic candidates running in the primary for that heavily Democratic seat.

by FDR [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

By Frank D. Russo

A bitter fight for the endorsement by the California Democratic Party between incumbent State Senator Carole Migden and challenger Assemblymember Mark Leno is shaping up to be the biggest battle at the state party convention being held in San Jose.  The picture above is typical of what delegates and other other observers have seen over the last two days as they exit the convention floor.

The Democratic Senate leadership has pulled out all the stops to get Migden endorsed as dozens of Senate staffers, along with other supporters of hers, have been holding signs in meetings and the hallways urging that the party endorse her.  Unfortunately, this is one of those incumbent protection moves, where challenges to an incumbent must be fought at all costs.  Delegates appointed by Senators who would have supported Leno, the challenger, have been replaced by those loyal to Senator Migden.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

Senate Democratic leadership rally around one of their own, despite record fine by Fair Political Practices Commission and incumbent trailing badly in polls

By Frank D. Russo

A bitter fight for the endorsement by the California Democratic Party between incumbent State Senator Carole Migden and challenger Assemblymember Mark Leno is shaping up to be the biggest battle at the state party convention being held in San Jose. The picture above is typical of what delegates and other other observers have seen over the last two days as they exit the convention floor.

The Democratic Senate leadership has pulled out all the stops to get Migden endorsed as dozens of Senate staffers, along with other supporters of hers, have been holding signs in meetings and the hallways urging that the party endorse her. Unfortunately, this is one of those incumbent protection moves, where challenges to an incumbent must be fought at all costs. Delegates appointed by Senators who would have supported Leno, the challenger, have been replaced by those loyal to Senator Migden.

by Donald Lathbury [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

(Cross-posted on California Majority Report).

I'll be liveblogging the SD-3 regional endorsement battle between Senator Carole Migden, Assemblymember Mark Leno, and former Assemblymember Joe Nation. Stay tuned! This should be fun, horrifying, or a fascinating drama depending on your perspective.

[Update by Lucas] Leno campaign is reporting more than 50 Leno supporter ballots are missing.  "Disenfranchisement" is running through the room.