This is the highest profile endorsement of a Democratic candidate by the Orange County Register in recent memory. The local paper, an 11 other dailies in Southern California, are backing Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez for US Senate.
Here’s the press release from the Sanchez for Senate campaign followed by the Register editorial:
The Eleven Southern California News Group Newspapers
Endorse Loretta Sanchez for U.S. Senate
“We endorse Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Orange, because she has demonstrated incredible judgment on the most crucial issues of our generation, taking tough stands in the face of tremendous opposition,” states the Editorial.
City of Orange – Today, the Southern California News Group (SCGN) announced the sole endorsement of Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez for U.S. Senate to replace retiring Senator Barbara Boxer. The endorsement cites Sanchez’s votes against the Iraq war, the PATRIOT Act, and the Wall Street bailout as reason for the backing.
“Her discernment on military matters and experience as a member of both the House Armed Services and Homeland Security committees alone eminently qualifies her to represent California in the Senate,” writes the SCNG editorial.
According to Southern California News Group, they operate 11 daily newspapers and associated websites in Southern California, including the Los Angeles Daily News, Daily Breeze in Torrance, Long Beach Press-Telegram, The Orange County Register, Pasadena Star-News, The (Riverside) Press-Enterprise, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Whittier Daily News, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, The Sun in San Bernardino and Redlands Facts. In addition, they own more than a dozen weekly newspapers, and when combined with their Spanish-language products and social channels, SCNG products will reach an audience of more than 8.1 million readers each week, with in-depth reporting on exclusive content focusing on local news, politics, sports, and entertainment relevant to the communities it serves.
The newspapers cover Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside Counties.
From the Editorial Board: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/sanchez-715056-war-military.html
Loretta Sanchez for U.S. Senate
May 6, 2016
California in November will elect a new U.S. senator for the first time in 24 years. To replace four-term Sen. Barbara Boxer, who decided not to seek re-election, we endorse Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Orange, because she has demonstrated incredible judgment on the most crucial issues of our generation, taking tough stands in the face of tremendous opposition.
When thinking deeply about the most consequential policy decisions made by Congress in the past two decades, the vote to invade Iraq in 2003 should be at the top of the list. The loss of life, the standing of the United States globally, the drain on economic resources, the national debt and the deeper political divisions in our country arguably flow from that congressional authorization of war.
Hindsight has led many members of Congress who voted for the war to regret their actions. But only a minority of members of Congress can say that they voted no at the time. Rep. Sanchez is one of the few that stood up against public opinion and political pressure to vote her conscience.
“Too many of my colleagues have rushed to use the military for every single thing,” she told us. “The military is the last thing I want to do,” she added, and should be utilized only after diplomacy and all other options had been exhausted.
When pressed about when it is appropriate to send American citizens to war, the congresswoman, whose husband was in the military and whose son is currently serving, asserted that she would picture what she would say to the mother of a dead soldier to determine if military conflict was worth the cost. Her discernment on military matters and experience as a member of both the House Armed Services and Homeland Security committees alone eminently qualifies her to represent California in the Senate.
Aside from the Iraq War vote, Rep. Sanchez has also shown independence of thought when voting to oppose the USA PATRIOT Act, a law that has led to the expansion of executive power and unprecedented government surveillance of Americans’ private data and communications. She also voted against the $700 billion bank bailout in 2008 when it was politically unpopular for legislators of either party to do so.
This is not to say that Rep. Sanchez has a perfect voting record, but, rather, that when she is faced with the biggest and most complex decisions, she typically makes the correct choice. It is those big issues such as war and the surveillance of millions of Americans that have a greater impact on citizens’ lives than perhaps anything else Congress has done. For these reasons, Rep. Sanchez is the right choice for the United States Senate.
“.. the congresswoman, whose husband was in the military and whose son is currently serving ..”
To clarify, it is her husband’s son who is serving in the military — her step-son.
Out and out “civil war” – north vs. south. How much fun this is!!
Very fun Junior