Progressives win battle for SLO County Democratic Party Chair
July 20, 2017
Rosemary Canfield
Following months of battling for control of the San Luis Obispo County Democratic Party, the SLO County Progressives have taken over the helm of the local party.
On Monday, the SLO County Democratic Party elected Rosemary Canfield, the choice of the local progressives, as its new chair. Canfield defeated challenger Donna Kandel by a tally of 33 to 24.
“It was a tense, ballot-by-ballot oral vote count,” an email circulated by the SLO County Progressives stated.
Canfield, a teacher by trade, worked on several successful campaigns, including that of Congressman Salud Carbajal. She has also chaired multiple nonprofit boards, according to the Progressives.
Now, Canfield is tasked with unifying a divided party and unseating local Republicans in upcoming mid-term races.
The SLO County Progressives were formed by former volunteers on United States Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign. As has been the case at that the state level, the progressives have engaged in heated battles in attempt to gain control of the local Democratic Party.
The statewide progressive group, however, was not as successful in its bid to get one of its members elected chair of the party. In May, the progressive candidate lost a contested vote for California Democratic Party chair that prompted a walkout and protests at the state convention.
The comments below represent the opinion of the writer and do not represent the views or policies of CalCoastNews.com. Please address the Policies, events and arguments, not the person. Constructive debate is good; mockery, taunting, and name calling is not. Comment Guidelines