Ami Bera must be concerned about a primary challenge following two months of constant and brutal attacks from the unions over his support for trade promotion authority. Unions ran a TV ad against Bera, a Craigslist ad calling for a congressman with a “backbone,” and staged rallies with Q-Tips urging him to clean out his ears. A sampling of quotes from labor leaders and local Democrats demonstrates how bad the trade fight has become for Bera:
Steve Smith, Spokesman of the California Labor Federation: “It would be next to impossible” for union members to support Bera in 2016.
Kerri Asbury, Chairwoman of the Sacramento County Democratic Party: It’s “very unlikely” that Bera will receive an endorsement from the California Democratic Party. Asbury said, “At the end of the day, we have to look at our positions, not the person. If he’s not aligning with our Democratic Party positions, then what’s the point?”
Angie Wei, Chief of Staff for the California Labor Federation: “We’ve lost all our interest in defending this guy. We want to fight for people fighting for us, not people who turn their backs.”