Baca Releases Endorsement Signature Sheet (Updated) #CA31
Updated 8:05 a.m. | Under fire for touting questionable member endorsements, former Rep. Joe Baca, D-Calif., released on Wednesday the signatures of several House Democrats indicating their support for his campaign.
Baca sent CQ Roll Call a PDF of the signature sign-up sheet — including the autographs of two Democrats who have since disputed they ever agreed to support him in California’s heated 31st District primary.
Last week, Baca announced that 30 House Democrats had endorsed him, including House Assistant Minority Leader James E. Clyburn and Rep. Terri A. Sewell of Alabama. But on Tuesday, Clyburn said through a spokesman that he did not endorse Baca in the highly contested primary and insisted he was staying neutral in the race.
Sewell followed suit, also saying through a spokeswoman that she, too, did not endorse Baca.
Late Wednesday evening, Clyburn’s Communications Director Patrick Devlin sought to clear up any confusion over the endorsement debacle in an email.
“Mr. Clyburn never intended to endorse Joe Baca over another Democrat,” Devlin said in an email. “During Mr. Baca’s April visit to DC, Mr. Clyburn’s understanding was he was the lone Democrat in the race. That no longer being the case, we have asked the Baca campaign to remove his name from their website and expect that they will do so.”