Democrats may choose not to back Rep. Ami Bera for re-election to the seat he snatched from Republican Dan Lungren in 2012 despite support from former President Bill Clinton.
On Tuesday night the Elk Grove-South County Democratic Club voted to not endorse the sitting Democratic Party congressman, according to the Sacramento Bee. Bera was reportedlycriticized for legislative votes relating to Syrian refugees leading up to the vote. Bera pushed back. saying the vote wouldn’t stop refugees from coming.
“A lot of folks have contacted us wondering if my position was not to take refugees. I’ve explained that is not what this bill was about,” Bera said last December. Eight California Democrats supported the bill.
Bera was also criticized during the meeting for votes coinciding with the position of establishment Republicans, including House Speaker Paul Ryan. The report noted that he has come under fire in the past when he supported Obama’s TPA (Trade Promotion Authority), with labor unions criticizing the move. BuzzFeed accused Bera of plagiarism in an op-ed on the TPA that ran in the Sacramento Bee.
“A lot of people aren’t happy with Ami lately for things he’s done,” Sandi Russell, past president of the Elk Grove club told the Bee on Wednesday.
In October 2014 former President Bill Clinton worked to boost support for Bera during a visit to Sacramento County. Bera’s seat is historically one of the most highly contested in the nation, with spending reaching into double digit millions.
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