The race to fill the seat in the California State Assembly being vacated by Chris Kehoe heated up this weekend as members of the San Diego Democratic Club (SDDC) and Kehoe clashed over endorsements. Kehoe and State Senator Dede Alpert have endorsed relative newcomer Heidi von Szeliski to fill the seat Kehoe will be vacating this year. The SDDC has overwhelmingly endorsed long time friend of the community Vince Hall, 63-1.

The majority of von Szeliski’s political experience has come through her career with Decision Research, a Democratic national public opinion research firm. Szeliski has been a part of several teams that worked to get GLBT individuals elected, including Sheila Kuehl, Jackie Goldberg and Toni Atkins. In the public policy arena she has worked on the No on Knight (Proposition 22) campaign in California and was a part of the No on 9 and No on 13 campaigns in Oregon (Proposition 13 stated that tax dollars shall not be used to promote homosexuality and 9 said that schools should not promote, endorse or sanction homosexuality or bisexuality) to name a few.

“I have a family member who is gay, but I am deeply, deeply committed to social justice and economic justice,” Szeliski told the Gay and Lesbian Times. “As a person who was working in affirmative action, who volunteered to become president of a women’s organization, who has actively worked to increase the number of women in elective office and ethnic minorities, it’s just part of the core fabric of my life. I’d say I’ve been like this forever.”

She adds, “The family member is not the impetus for all of this. It makes me more committed, but that’s the way I have been my whole life. I am just concerned about all of these things.”

Kehoe first worked with Szeliski in 1997 at a Democratic women’s candidate training where Szeliski was one of the panelists educating people on how to run for office successfully. Through that training, Kehoe became more aware of Szeliski, who she describes as a “progressive Democrat.”

“I think that she brings a fresh face,” Kehoe said about her endorsement of Szeliski. “I think that she will not look like a Sacramento insider that has worked for the past Governor and has had a long political history as a staffer.”

Kehoe, who supported Hall in his run for the 78th Assembly District seat, added, “Those were the issues that the Republicans brought up against Vince in the last cycle and, though they are not negatives and they shouldn’t be negatives, they were effective in that campaign and my worry is that they can be effective the second time, too.”

Hall comes into the campaign with a strong history of political activism, including serving as Governor Gray Davis’ chief of staff. Prior to the 1998 gubernatorial election, Hall served as communications director for Davis when he was Lieutenant Governor. He also served as the district director and technology advisor to Congressmember Bob Filner, and as a council representative for the San Diego City Council. Currently Hall is an educator at San Diego State University, sharing his experience in federal, state and local government with students.

“Vince has been with us, a supporter of us. He’s been a member of the club for a minimum of 10 years,” said SDDC member and Vince Hall staffer Gloria Johnson. “He’s been there on the issues. He’s spoken up with us on the issues. He’s been in the Gay Pride parade with us. He’s just been there with us with absolutely no hesitation in supporting the issues.”

The split in endorsements came to a head on Sunday, Dec. 14, at the Region 21 Pre-endorsement Caucus for Assembly Districts 76, 77, 78, and 79, where local delegates voted for state party endorsements.

“We are a maturing LGBT community here and with the rise of elected LGBT representatives there is an increased likelihood that there is going to be a difference of opinion between the club and say, Toni Atkins or Chris Kehoe at some point in the future,” said SDDC President Jess Durfee. “The inevitable happened. This election cycle is where we had a difference of opinion and that’s part of evolving as a community. Collectively we need to learn to agree to disagree and work on behalf of the candidate we’re supporting, and after the primary unify our efforts behind the candidate that wins the primary and work to see that that person goes on to represent us in Sacramento.”

At the Pre-endorsement Caucus, delegates representing all of the local democratic clubs vote on endorsements. Any candidate that receives more than 70 percent of the vote goes on to a consent vote at the State Democratic Party meeting to receive the state party’s endorsement. If no candidate receives 70 percent of the vote, but receives 50 percent plus one vote they are then passed on for a second endorsement vote at the State Endorsement Caucus where they must then receive 60 percent of the vote for an endorsement. If no candidate receives 50 percent plus one at the Pre-endorsement Caucus there will be no statewide party endorsement in that race.

Knowing the importance of the statewide Democratic Party’s endorsement, prior to the caucus Kehoe and Alpert sent out a letter urging delegates to support Szeliski, a candidate with whom many were unfamiliar.

“The reason I did it was because I was a strong supporter of Vince Hall’s on the last cycle, in the 78th district,” Kehoe said, defending her shifting support to Szeliski. “The seat had been democratic for well over 20 years. So has my 76th assembly district been democratic for many years.… As one of the five openly gay members of the California legislature, I think it’s important for me to try to keep this seat Democratic. Any number of [gay rights bills] you can bring up have only passed the assembly by the minimum number of votes. Those bills have never received a Republican vote, either in committee or on the floor in the assembly or the senate. Democrats need to be working to keep this seat Democratic and we need the strongest candidate possible. I think that Heidi is that candidate.”

Kehoe and Alpert’s actions were seen by many as trying to strong-arm delegates into supporting their candidate.

A letter sent to California Democratic Party Chair, Senator Art Torres claimed that politicians outside the region gave 63 people, historically uninvolved in the San Diego County Democratic Party, last minute appointments to the caucus.

“Apparently the sole rationale for those individuals’ appointments is their pledge to vote for 76th AD candidate Heidi von Szeliski. Apparently these ‘kingmakers’ felt the need to go to these extraordinary lengths because Ms. von Szeliski has almost no support from ling-time 76th AD party activists. In fact without these last-minute appointees, Ms. Von Szeliski probably would have placed last!” said the letter, which was signed by local party officials, including Durfee.

Kehoe’s appointee to the caucus, Nicole Murray-Ramirez, confirms that Kehoe did pressure him to vote for Szeliski against his wishes, saying, “Chris got a hold of me and said, ‘you are my appointee and I want you to vote for Heidi’ and we went back and forth and I said ‘you know Chris, this is making me feel really uncomfortable, I can’t do this’ and ‘Vince has been my friend for years, I’m not even for this Heidi,’ and she said bluntly, ‘You’re my appointee and you should vote for who I want you to vote for.’ So I … signed an absentee thing and did what she requested because I do serve at her pleasure, if you know what I mean.”

However, the tactic backfired as it came time for the caucus to endorse Kehoe in her uncontested race for the State Senate seat currently occupied by Dede Alpert. In order for Kehoe to receive the pre-endorsement she needed a minimum of 74 votes. When the votes were tallied she barely received the endorsement, squeaking by with just 76 votes. With 55 members of the SDDC eligible to vote for Kehoe’s endorsement in the uncontested race, she should have had little problem picking up the required votes to earn the nomination.

“For her almost to lose it by two votes, for them to work to deny her the endorsement is unheard of,” Murray-Ramirez said. “This was spearheaded by her own community. This is probably the worst politics at their best. Our own people did this stuff.

“Where’s our maturity? So what, you’re disappointed that Chris is not for Vince. You’re upset, but you don’t do that. You don’t go against your candidate. This is the candidate who people worked night and day for to get her first elected to office, who has been there for us, and you try to deny her because you’re upset that she’s not supporting your candidate.”

According to Durfee, the majority of no endorsement votes did not come from the SDDC. In the 76th district endorsement the vote was split with no candidate receiving the 70 percent or 50 percent plus one needed for a second vote for endorsement consideration. As a result, going into the March primary, none of the candidates in the 76th Assembly District will have a party endorsement.