Democratic contenders converge in Bay Area but Joe Biden is taking a pass
It’s 278 days until California’s presidential primary, but the Bay Area is about to become the center of the presidential election universe.
Fourteen of the presidential candidates are descending on San Francisco this weekend for the California Democratic convention, the largest concentration of White House hopefuls so far this year. It’s a sign of how the state’s early primary and the wide-open field make the Golden State a coveted prize for the 23 Democrats vying for the nomination.
The convention will be the biggest concentration of presidential contenders in the Golden State since a September 2015 Republican presidential debate in Simi Valley, when Donald Trump and 14 other contenders faced off at the Ronald Reagan National Library.
But there’ll be one very notable absence: Joe Biden.
Instead of hobnobbing with 3,400 California delegates at Moscone Convention Center, Biden — the race’s frontrunner — is headed to Columbus, Ohio, to headline a dinner for an LGBT rights group on Saturday night. That makes the former Vice President the only top Democratic candidate to skip the convention.
It’s an example of the Biden campaign’s strategy of minimizing his public appearances and being selective about his campaign stops. It also avoids the potential pitfall of the former veep getting booed or facing a backlash from liberal California activists, who haven’t been shy about voicing their displeasure with more moderate candidates at past conventions.
“There’s a risk there that people think he doesn’t have to work for their support,” said Thad Kousser, a politics professor at UC San Diego. “But I don’t think people will be offended that a former vice president won’t be doing the same cattle call… he’s the one candidate who really doesn’t have to.”
Steve Westly, the former California state controller and a Biden supporter in Silicon Valley, argued that it made sense for the frontrunner to focus on states that will be crucial in next year’s election face-off against Trump.
“He has the luxury to be a little more strategic and focus on the main states that will determine not only the primary but the general election,” Westly said. “Other candidates have a different challenge — they’re still scrambling to make the playoffs.”
That’s not to say Biden won’t be spending time here. He visited Southern California for fundraisers and public events earlier this month, and his campaign is planning a fundraising swing through the Bay Area that could take place next month.
“You’re going to be seeing a lot of Joe Biden in California,” Westly said.
This weekend’s schedule
The candidates are using the convention to campaign around the Bay Area and California, holding rallies, fundraisers and town halls and courting the influential delegates and activists who walk the convention halls. Here’s a few top events we’ll be following this weekend:
FRIDAY
Caucus meetings at the convention (4:45-9 p.m.)
Elizabeth Warren town hall at Laney College in Oakland (7:30 p.m.)
Kamala Harris Planned Parenthood fundraiser in downtown San Francisco (9 p.m.)
SATURDAY
SEIU Breakfast with appearances by Harris and other candidates (7:30 a.m.)
Convention speeches by Harris, Cory Booker, Beto O’Rourke and Warren (10-11:30 a.m.)
MoveOn Big Ideas forum (12 p.m.-4 p.m.)
Convention speeches by Kirsten Gillibrand, Tulsi Gabbard, Pete Buttigieg, Eric Swalwell, Amy Klobuchar, John Hickenlooper and Jay Inslee (1:30-3 p.m.)
Bernie Sanders rally in San Jose (5 p.m.)
SUNDAY
State party chair run-off election (8-10 a.m.)
Convention speeches by Sanders, Julián Castro and John Delaney (10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.)
This story was originally published May 30, 2019 at 9:41 AM.