5/5
Organized labor does not like Bera and neither do we.
Ami Bera (CA-07)
Congressman Ami Bera is one of those Democrats obsessed with finding common ground with Republicans, even when it is to the detriment of families he represents. In a district where more then 23,000 households rely on federal nutrition assistance programs, Bera brags about supporting a Republican proposal to cut $20 billion from SNAP as an example of him reaching across the aisle to get things done.
Bera is a member of the centrist New Democrat Collation and a former co-chair of the Problem Solvers Caucus. In that role bipartisan group of representatives who collaborate to find centrist solutions just in time for the start of a Democratic Congress, but somehow never get around to moderating Republicans when they are in charge. When he is not patting himself on the back for working with Republicans, Bera is actively undermining progressive proposals to withdraw troops from Afghanistan or reign in military spending. Bera gets a Vote Score in the low 60s and a Sponsorship Score in the teens, so not great.
Bera has some ethical skeletons in his closet as well. In 2016 his father pleaded guilty to election fraud in the financing of his son's first two campaigns for Congress. Bera claims he had no idea what his dad was up to, but we find that hard to believe.
Bera's voting recored is bad enough to warrant a primary consideration, but what makes him vulnerable to a progressive insurgent is the enmity he has received from organized labor. Bera is a big free-trade guy, having been a vocal backer of TPP. The California Labor Federation found Bera's recored so objectionable that he was one of only three incumbent Democrats who failed to get their endorsement, despite facing no serious opposition candidate on his left. With a little bit of leg work progressives should be able to rustle up a strong primary challenge next time around.
A cycle or two ago, Bera would not be a top target for progressives, but his suburban Sacramento district has decisively changed from the most competitive in California, to one that leans blue.