DPCCC membership approved the following resolution at the March 18, 2021 regular meeting.
WHEREAS, endorsements are one of the most valuable tools of the California Democratic Party. They express our values and our support of candidates who support those core values and principles and who have committed to moving our communities forward;
WHEREAS, although the CDP bylaws “hope and expect” our members to support our endorsed candidates, CDP organizations are required to support the endorsed candidate or their membership is suspended for a year or more. The CDP Rules Committee has determined the bylaw language means that members may support another candidate as long as they do not advocate voting against our endorsed candidate. Our local committees expect our delegates to support our endorsed candidates;
WHEREAS, the California Democratic Party works hard to ensure the CADEM endorsement is highly coveted by Democrats across the state, including putting legal weight behind an official CADEM endorsement. Our candidates are relying on the endorsement, and they have a right to expect that our entire membership protects their endorsement, supports their election, and that the endorsement is not weakened in any way. Elected Democrats who support non-endorsed candidates and work against the party’s endorsed candidate, especially by supporting non-Democrats, devalue the endorsement of the entire party;
THEREFORE, be it resolved by the California Democratic Party, we believe it is a core principle of the California Democratic Party for the Public Office Members of this Party, as defined in Article II Section 2 of the Party bylaws, to support and not work against our endorsed candidates. We further believe that to support our core principles, we must be consistent, we must protect the endorsement, and we must strengthen and follow our rules.
AUTHORED BY Jeff Koertzen, AD14