Kamala Harris lands the endorsements of two major Democrats from the Golden State. Not even doing the dab on the debate stage could save Orange County Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez.
Wednesday night, millions of Californians tuned in to watch the only Senate debate between the two Democrats. It was a fascinating and historical debate because there were no Republicans present. However, Donald Trump‘s name was mentioned several times.
There was another historical aspect to this week’s event; it was the first time that a politician did the dab on live TV during a debate. The dab, which is a dance move loved by teens and millennials, became mainstream thanks to an Atlanta rap group known as Migos.
The rappers produced a major hit in 2015 called “Look at My Dab,” which is often played at victory parties. Believe it or not, Hillary Clinton was taught how to do the dab while appearing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Harris and Sanchez had some substantive exchanges on many issues, but often, took personal shots at each other.
The pair had a healthy debate on student debt, police, and criminal justice reform. At times, it got somewhat nasty as Sanchez lashed out at Harris for taking huge contributions from the Republican nominee for president Trump. Sanchez said:
“You took Trump’s money and used it for first class airfare and first class hotels.”
She also reminded the voters that Harris failed to investigate Trump University in California. Sanchez went on to bash Harris for palling around with controversial philanthropist Dede Wilsey, who fought tooth and nail to stay on as head of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.
Wilsey, a well-known socialite, has been accused of misusing the museum’s money. She also claimed that Harris has been absent in the important debates and votes in California. Harris hit the congresswoman back by saying:
“If you’re going to talk about absences, it’s important to show up.”
The post-debate conversation was supposed to be about the fact that Sanchez lit up social media with the dab, but that was not the case. Both Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer came out with endorsements for Harris. Boxer, who is retiring, said that Harris is the perfect candidate to replace her. She wrote:
“California deserves a continuation of clear progressive leadership in the U.S. Senate. For almost 50 years, the seat that I hold has been a leadership seat on human rights, women’s rights, civil rights, voting rights, immigrants’ rights, fair trade, a clean environment and a voice for all families — no matter their circumstances,” Boxer added. “Kamala Harris shares those values with me. Her broad array of endorsements underscores this.”
Feinstein not only backed Harris in her op-ed, but she called out Sanchez for some of the controversial comments she made recently. Sanchez more or less claimed that President Obama is supporting Harris because they are both African-Americans. Sanchez also said during an interview after the terrorist attack in San Bernardino that a large group of Muslims supports a caliphate — a strict Islamic state. Feinstein said:
“In this U.S. Senate campaign, Kamala has been a consistent voice of unity and optimism at a time when too many political leaders have tried to divide our communities along racial and religious lines. I wholeheartedly endorse Kamala’s campaign and look forward to having a strong partner in Kamala Harris serving alongside me in the U.S. Senate.”
Harris has also been endorsed by Vice President Joe Biden, and Gov. Jerry Brown. The California Democratic Party has abandoned Sanchez while spending more that half a million dollars on Harris. A recent CALSPEAKS poll showed that 51% Californians back Harris while only 19% say they would vote for Sanchez.