Photos courtesy of Louise “Lou” Fischer
By Louise “Lou” Fischer—
Over the weekend of February 20–22, approximately 3,500 State Delegates attended the California State Democratic (CADEM) Convention at San Francisco’s Moscone Center. Another 1,500 or so friends, fans, and politically-minded folks tagged along for the fun parties, exhibit halls, and free swag. Bay Area-based delegates rejoiced over how much money they were saving on hotels and airfare by not having to schlep out to Anaheim, San Diego, Los Angeles, or Sacramento.
The official purpose of the convention is for party leaders, activists, and elected officials to network, endorse candidates for state and local offices, set the party platform, and plan strategies for upcoming elections. However, as a season ticket holder to our beloved San Francisco Giants baseball team (Dodgers Suck!) and with a fondness for a good metaphor, I believe that the convention is like Spring Training for Major League Baseball. The messaging, strategy, and prepping for a long campaign are basically the same as baseball players getting in shape for the slog of a 162-game season. Pitching to voters and having them assess your message is the same as having your pitches or swing mechanics evaluated by coaches. So, while February isn’t officially spring, the weather was mild so it could have passed for springtime in Connecticut (shoutout to my home state!).
The prevailing theme, or, more appropriately, cloud of potential doom hanging over the convention, was the “mishegoss” (craziness), hand-wringing, pearl-clutching, and overall angst of having nine Democratic candidates running for governor. The “Fellowship of the Nine” are generally good candidates, but none have “star power” or have, as yet, consolidated support among the voters.
There is a clear and present danger of two Republicans advancing to the General Election in November and effectively shutting out the Democrats completely. Quick civics lesson: California has a “top-two” primary system, such that the two candidates who receive the most votes in June move on to the general election, regardless of party. The two Republicans in the race, whose names I won’t mention, but will refer to by cheeky nicknames that I made up, “Sheriff White Man” and “Fox News Man with Hotel Name,” are currently carrying approximately 40% of the vote, while the “9-member baseball team” of Democratic candidates are splitting the remaining 60% and no one has a clear majority. The threshold for the CADEM endorsement is 60% and no Democratic candidate came close. The top two were Congressman Eric Swalwell (24%) and, in a welcome surprise, San Francisco native and former State Controller and Board of Equalization Rep, Betty Yee (17.3%).
The real draw of the convention is going “on the convention floor” (the only place where you need either a delegate credential, or, in my case, a press pass) to hear candidates’ 4-minute pitch for delegate support, or, as I call it, “speed dating without cocktails.” There are always a few high-ranking elected officials tossed in to energize the crowd, in this case Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and Senator Adam Schiff. However, for me, the highlight was being able to attend the “invite only” press conference for members of the media hosted by Party Chair Rusty Hicks on Friday.
My fancy camera slung over my shoulder and my notepad and pen served as my “newspaper reporter” cosplay while I tried to shake off feelings of “imposter syndrome” in a room full of award-winning local, state, and national media newspeople who actually do this for a living. That said, each reporter asked the same question with slightly different wording that, to paraphrase, was what the Chair planned to do to winnow the field in the governor’s race so we don’t end up with a Republican governor.
His messages—“It’s only February; we have a few more months until June; the field will eventually coalesce; candidates will drop out”—didn’t go over well. To describe it in baseball terms, the press kept throwing the same pitch, and Rusty kept fouling it off until the inning ended. It was like watching the longest at-bat in the history of baseball.
I actually felt sorry for him, so my rescue instinct kicked in, and I lobbed a softball over the plate: What is the party doing to recruit, train, and support viable LGBTQ candidates to win elections? He referenced a long history of LGBTQ support through outreach and training programs and encouragement LGBTQ candidates to run for office and work with local electeds to run for state-level positions. It was not exactly a homerun hit, but I’ll give him credit for a solid base-hit, maybe a double if he’s a fast runner.
Since the “Gang of Nine” in the governor’s race still hadn’t contracted after the convention ended, the Chair invoked the nuclear option and, on March 3 (three days before the final filing deadline), sent an open letter to all candidates with a polite message along the lines of: You’re all great, have deep experience, history of public service, and I love the enthusiasm, but this isn’t a clown car. It would be better if a few of you could step out. Or, sticking with the baseball theme: If all 9 members of the team crowd the plate, we’ll hand the game to the other team. So far, only one candidate has dropped out. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. The primary isn’t until June 2, so there’s still a lot of baseball left to play.
As a reminder, the primary is June 2, and the last day to register to vote is May 18. If you’ve moved or need to update your voter registration, do it soon. If you are a U.S. citizen and not registered to vote, you should be ashamed of yourself. Our democracy is at stake. Do the right thing and register and make sure to vote on June 2 and November 3.
Louise (Lou) Fischer is a former Co-Chair of the Board of Directors for the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club and has served as an appointed and elected Delegate for the State Democratic Party. She is a proud graduate of the Emerge California Women’s Democratic Leadership program, was a San Francisco Commissioner, and has served in leadership positions in multiple nonprofit and community-based organizations.
Published on March 12, 2026
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