SAN DIEGO (AP) - The Latest on the California Democratic Party’s convention (all times local):
7 p.m.
No candidate won the California Democratic Party’s endorsement in the race for one of its most coveted U.S. House seats.
Five candidates fought Saturday night for the party’s nod to replace retiring Republican Rep. Darrell Issa in Orange County. A candidate would have needed to receive support from 60 percent of delegates in the district to get the endorsement.
Democrats are worried too many candidates in certain races will splinter the party’s vote and make victory easier for Republicans.
Democrats are targeting 10 seats in California, with a focus on seven that Hillary Clinton won in the 2016 presidential contest.
A candidate also failed to win the endorsement in the Los Angeles County race against Republican Rep. Steve Knight.
Candidates did secure party support in several other contests, and those endorsements could be finalized Sunday.
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2 p.m.
Winning seven U.S. House seats currently held by California Republicans is critical to Democrats’ hopes of taking back Congress in the midterm elections.
But first, they’ve got to narrow the field.
An all-out battle is underway at the California Democratic Party’s annual convention in San Diego to win an endorsement. It’s a stamp of approval heading into the June primary that brings support from activists and party cash.
Republican President Donald Trump’s election has inspired high numbers of Democrats to run in districts once considered safe for Republicans. But party leaders worry too many Democrats in the field could give Republicans an inadvertent boost.
It’s a problem that’s particularly acute in two Orange County districts held by retiring Republican Reps. Darrell Issa and Ed Royce, where five and seven Democrats, respectively, are running.
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