Most of Silicon Valley’s delegates to the Democratic National Convention who backed President Joe Biden are now on board with fresh leadership from the party.
Days before Biden withdrew from the race Sunday amid intensifying calls for him to step aside, most delegates stood staunchly behind him. Some local Democrats wished they had a better option for the top of the ticket.
Party leaders, including San Jose Rep. Zoe Lofgren, questioned the 81-year-old president’s ability to beat Donald Trump — and serve another four years in office.
California Democrats will send 496 delegates and 35 alternates to the DNC in Chicago next month to choose the party’s nominee. Santa Clara County is sending two dozen delegates representing the area’s four congressional districts. They are typically elected or appointed and serve as party leaders or elected officials.
San José Spotlight contacted nine delegates to gauge their confidence in Biden ahead of the national convention.
Some Santa Clara County delegates had believed Biden had what it takes to beat Trump. Now many of those leaders are throwing their support behind Vice President Kamala Harris, who earned the outgoing president’s endorsement.
“The choice of changing to me was too tricky,” San Jose Councilmember David Cohen told San José Spotlight. “It’s not clear to me another candidate has a better chance than he does. It’s not obvious to me and that’s been my concern all along.”
Cohen predicts no one else will throw their hat into the ring against Harris — but he’s waiting to see what happens before he can predict how he’ll cast his vote.
“I think there’s very little path for anyone other than Harris,” Cohen added.
Rob Moore, a young delegate and Los Gatos councilmember, said Harris has the best chance at beating Trump.
Biden faced intense pressure to end his reelection campaign after a disastrous debate performance last month that showed the president losing his train of thought, struggling to finish his sentences and rambling. He chalked it up to exhaustion while party leaders wondered if his age and cognitive ability are a factor.
Recent polls painted a bleak picture for Biden and show Trump leading in all seven major swing states. Nearly two-thirds of Democrats wanted Biden to withdraw so the party can nominate someone else who can beat Trump. Former President Barack Obama, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer have all expressed worry over Biden’s candidacy.
Lofgren — a leading member of Congress — joined the chorus of concern and said she believes Biden can’t beat Trump. As a member of a committee investigating the Jan. 6 attacks on the Capitol, Lofgren said she cannot go through it again. She said in a letter obtained by San José Spotlight that she “greatly doubts” Biden’s ability to win and the country will pay a “dreadful price” for that.
“Simply put, your candidacy is on a trajectory to lose the White House and potentially impact crucial House and Senate races down ballot,” Lofgren wrote. “It is for these reasons that I urge you to step aside from our Party’s nomination to allow another Democratic candidate to compete against and beat Donald Trump in the November election.”
Tomara Hall, a delegate from Congressional District 18, said she and other young Bay Area delegates wanted an option besides Biden. She said delegates were forced to back the president without another choice — and some Silicon Valley Democrats became independents because of the president’s actions including the shipment of bombs to Israel for its war against Hamas.
“A lot of young people, including myself, are really heartbroken and devastated by the blood on our hands,” Hall said.
Our news is for everyone.
That means it needs to be free! We don’t put our news behind a paywall. Your tax-deductible donation is critical to our mission of keeping you informed.
Moore hopes that people will “remember what a terrible president Trump was” and get motivated to vote in November. “Something like Project 2025 is truly dystopian and I believe people will turn out to vote against Trump, regardless of who the Democratic nominee is,” he said.
Project 2025 is a 900-page blueprint for the next conservative administration, written by think tank Heritage Foundation which is led by former Trump administration officials. It calls for expanding presidential powers, dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion programs in universities and the federal government, eliminating federal agencies like the Department of Education, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and more.
Enrique Arguello, another South Bay delegate going to to convention, said some delegates hope Gov. Gavin Newsom jumps into the race. He personally thinks Harris is the right choice.
“If I talk on behalf of my union,” said Arguello, who represents LiUNA 230, “we support whoever is the best candidate who has more chance to beat Trump.”
