Moderate presidential hopefuls John Hickenlooper and John Delaney caused scenes at the California Democratic Convention that were not only dramatic but attention-getting. Their jabs at socialism and liberal policies supported by primary rivals provoked boos and jeers that both highlighted the ideological divide in the party and raised the profiles of the two struggling candidates.
“Given the current state of the Democratic Party, I can only assume that they expected to be booed,” Democratic strategist Jim Manley told the Washington Examiner. “Either that or their staff should be fired for incompetence for not expecting it.”
Hickenlooper, the former governor of Colorado, evoked jeers from California Democrats at the convention on Saturday when he said that “socialism is not the answer” to “beat Donald Trump and achieve big progressive goals.” When attendees drowned him out, Hickenlooper warned that “if we’re not careful, we’re going to end up helping to reelect the worst president in American history.”
The next day, Delaney, a former Maryland congressman, prompted boos when he criticized “Medicare for all,” the single-payer national healthcare plan backed by many liberal presidential candidates.
“’Medicare for all’ may sound good, but it’s actually not good policy nor is it good politics,” Delaney said. “We should have universal healthcare, but it shouldn’t be the kind of healthcare that kicks 150 million Americans off their healthcare. That’s not smart policy.”
Both men struggle with name recognition in a crowded Democratic presidential field with 23 candidates. A recent Morning Consult poll found that 44% of Democratic primary voters had never heard of Delaney and 51% were unfamiliar with Hickenlooper. RealClearPolitics’ polling average says that both Hickenlooper and Delaney have less than 1% support among Democratic primary voters nationally.
Hickenlooper’s response to criticism of their speeches signaled that he expected the negative reactions.
In a press release the day after his speech, Hickenlooper’s campaign boasted that he “stood strong in the face of a hostile crowd” and distributed links to news coverage of the speech. Hickenlooper told CNN following his speech that he had “no illusions that everyone was going to embrace the message,” but he felt that “it needed to be said.”
Delaney did not outwardly revel in the negative attention, telling MSNBC Monday, “I don’t say things because of any particular reaction I’m trying to get.” In a statement, a campaign spokesman called the response to the Delaney’s speech “not surprising” but “certainly disappointing.”
Delaney and his campaign did, however, escalate a fight with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., after she criticized Delaney’s aversion to “Medicare for all” and called on him to exit the crowded presidential primary field. Delaney challenged Ocasio-Cortez to a debate while a spokesman called for “less political grandstanding and more truth-telling from the Bernie wing of the party.”
Other Democratic presidential candidates who spoke at the event also drew lines between the liberal and moderate wings of the party. On Saturday, candidates took veiled jabs at former Vice President Joe Biden, the front-runner in the field who was noticeably absent from the convention.
Self-described Democratic Socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., repeatedly declared that there is “no middle ground” on issues such as healthcare, climate change, and defense spending. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., criticized “Democrats in Washington” who “believe the only changes we can get are tweaks and nudges.”
With Biden a no-show at the California convention, Delaney and Hickenlooper had more space to spread their moderate messages. But while they received a bump in attention over the weekend, they face an uphill battle in the race.
“Whether there is a more centrist path to getting nominated remains to be seen, but I can’t blame them for trying to differentiate themselves from the rest of the extremely crowded field.” Manley said.
The campaigns for Delaney and Hickenlooper did not respond to requests for comment.
