We were intrigued when we heard southern California Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (D) was planning to challenge state Attorney General Kamala Harris for the Senate seat being vacated by the retiring Barbara Boxer. Sanchez's entrance in the 2016 contest would enliven what had been an inevitable path to a coronation for Harris, as she has raked in millions of dollars and numerous endorsements being the only declared Democrat in the race. Democracy is best served by a competitive race in order to adequately debate the issues and where the candidates stand. Harris' declared Republican opponents, Assemblyman Rocky Chavez (San Diego) and former California Republican Party Chair Tom Del Beccaro haven't exactly matched her money or political star power. Never mind the fact that California is a solid blue state and thus overwhelmingly in favor of Democrats. Sanchez earned the support of many LGBT community members 20 years ago when she shocked the political establishment by defeating Republican Congressman Bob Dornan to become the first American of Mexican descent to represent Orange County in Congress. She has easily won re-election ever since.
But Sanchez hadn't even formally declared her entry into the Senate race when she stumbled. And again, at last weekend's state Democratic convention in Anaheim �" Sanchez's district �" she made a gaffe that seriously calls her judgment into question.
Let's start with Sanchez's campaign announcement. Last Wednesday, word leaked via Twitter that she was going to announce her entry into the Senate race at a news conference the next day. But shortly after several political reporters re-tweeted the news, Sanchez's camp backtracked, saying that she hadn't decided whether to enter. This seeming indecisiveness is unsettling. Officially announcing one's candidacy is the one bit of news a politician can control, and yet Sanchez sent mixed messages less than 24 hours before the news conference. Was she in or not?
It turned out that she's in. And while political observers had a chuckle over the "will-she-or-won't-she" moment, Sanchez was still poised to make a splashy entrance as a newly minted candidate at the party convention.
But on Saturday that narrative changed dramatically after a cellphone video surfaced of Sanchez describing Native Americans by putting a hand over her mouth and mimicking a war cry as she met with some delegates. "I'm going to his office, thinkin' that I'm gonna go meet with woo-woo-woo-woo, right? 'Cause he said 'Indian American,'" she said, using the gesture to try to discern between Indian Americans (whose ancestry is from the Indian subcontinent) and Native Americans.
To add to the awkwardness, Harris herself is of Indian American ancestry. Asked by reporters, Harris called the episode "shocking," leaving Sanchez to squirm and run away from reporters who were seeking comment (never a good sign for a politician).
Of course, Sanchez issued the standard non-apology apology Sunday morning during her convention speech, and added that she is Native American on her mother's side.
But the fact that a 10-term congresswoman and U.S. Senate candidate made the offensive gesture in the first place is troubling. And we wonder how Sanchez views other minority groups, including LGBTs.
We don't see Sanchez gaining much momentum now. Social media was abuzz with her missteps at the convention, and it's going to be hard for potential supporters to take her seriously.
We're frustrated with politicians who deliver perfunctory apologies that don't address the mistake or the core offense. Sanchez should have been more forthright with a sincere acknowledgment and apology: "What I said and did at the convention was indefensible. I'm of Native American heritage myself and should not have made fun of any minority group."
In the span of about 48 hours, Sanchez went from serious contender to bumbler. Whether she can re-boot her Senate campaign and become a formidable opponent remains to be seen. It's too bad because a competitive race would benefit Californians with wide ranging discussions of myriad issues affecting the Golden State.