Sparks already flying between Democrats, Jim Cooper as he explores possible run for Sacramento County Sheriff
https://www.elkgrovenews.net/2020/12/sparks-already-flying-between-democrats.html
UPDATED 8:30 p.m. |
It did not take long for fissures to appear between the Democratic Party of Sacramento and Assemblymember Jim Cooper after he announced earlier today a possible run for Sacramento County Sheriff.
Cooper, a retired 30-year veteran of the Sacramento County Sheriff, has served as Democratic Assemblymember representing the 9th District since his 2014 election. Although a self-proclaimed lifelong Democrat, Cooper has often been at odds with many of his party, particularly the progressive wing, for his stances on law enforcement issues.
Not long after Cooper tweeted that he was forming a committee to explore a possible run for Sacramento County Sheriff, the Democratic Party of Sacramento tweeted that he would be ineligible for endorsement given he has endorsed Republican candidates. The Democratic Party tweet indicated Cooper endorsed a non-Democratic candidate in the District 3 Sacramento County Board of Supervisors race in the November election.
Although the seat is non-partisan, a Republican-backed candidate Rich Desmond, who has a law enforcement background, narrowly defeated Democrat Gregg Fishman. The Democratic Party of Sacramento had targeted that seat as part of their red to blue campaign.
In response, Cooper replied with the following tweet:
@sacdems your lack of leadership and ignorance is beyond troubling and is exactly why there has never been a Democratic Sheriff in Sac County in 170+ years. I’ve been a lifelong proud Democrat and I always will be!
— Jim Cooper (@AsmJimCooper) December 16, 2020
Much of the Twitter string can be viewed below.
A representative of the Democratic Party of Sacramento verified that the tweet criticizing Cooper was authorized. The representative also claimed Cooper's use of his official Twitter account violated the California Fair Political Practices Commission rules prohibiting the use of official communication channels as campaign tools.
With the 2022 California Primary in about 18 months, notwithstanding the inevitable jockeying of several local politicians to fill the 9th Assembly seat, the acrimony between Cooper and factions of his fellow Democratic party is unlikely to subside.
Updated to reflect comments from the Democratic Party of Sacramento.
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