How to Work the CA Democratic Convention, E-Board, 

County Central Committee and Democratic Clubs 

Prospective Candidates Build Relationships, by Janet Cook & Karen Weinstein 

An astute political candidate or prospective candidate is always on the 

look-out for opportunities to develop relationships and connections, build 
coalitions, and raise awareness of issues. Such relationship building has value 
in and of itself to promote issues you care about, but it can also translate into 
campaign endorsements, volunteers and donations. 

Why would you want a relationship with the Democratic Party? 

The Democratic Party endorses candidates for the Legislature. Knowing 
delegates and learning the system by which endorsements are made is both 
basic and incredibly important.   
 
A Democratic Party endorsement carries credibility and can save candidates 
money. A Democratic Party endorsement enables the legislative leadership 
to send mail at a reduced rate on behalf of the Party’s candidates. 

Why would you go to the annual Democratic convention? 

You would go to the convention because it is the largest gathering of 
Democrats in the state. It is an opportunity to see and be seen; to connect 
with most of the influential Democrats from your district, make connections 
with people who can help your campaign, pave the way to a possible party 
endorsement, and have photos taken with VIP Dems for your website. It 
affords you an opportunity to meet with your County Central Committee 
(CCC) and interest caucuses. It may allow you to connect with potential 
campaign volunteers.  

The Democratic party is important to your candidacy. The people in the party 
want to know that you care about the party. That said, you don’t have to be a 
caucus chair or be on the central committee or on the e-board to develop 

 
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relationships within the party. Your job is to get elected, not to get distracted 
by major responsibilities within the party. 

How do I prepare in advance for the convention? 

A. The Democratic party, on their website, provides “how to” instructions on 
the convention. It’s worth reading because it gives technical details about 
the party, registration, and the convention program. 

B. It’s best to go as a convention delegate because it provides you with 

access to all events and venues. As soon as you have decided to run, and 
well in advance of the convention, approach your elected Senate or 
Assembly person and tell them you are running and would like the 
opportunity to be a proxy/delegate. If you don’t know the electeds, have 
your elevator speech ready and have someone who does know them and 
who supports your campaign introduce you. Note, if you are appointed by 
your elected, you are obligated to vote per their wishes.  

C. Or you may get an Observer Pass which is a guest pass of an elected or 
appointed delegate. An Observer may participate in workshops and 
Caucus meetings, social events, and general session, but may not vote. 

D. Attend your local County Central Committee meeting p ​ rior to the 

convention​. Introduce yourself especially to CCC officers and electeds. Tell 
people what you are running for; practice your elevator speech. Find a 
group of people with whom you can work.  

E. Familiarize yourself with the Democratic Party platform and the 

resolutions which will be voted upon at the convention. 

F. If there are key people (CCC chairs and officers, your local Democratic club 
officers/members, caucus chairs, CDP officers, state-level electeds), you 
wish to meet, make an appointment to meet them for “coffee” at the 
convention. Use your elevator speech. Do your homework: know what 
their issues are. 

G. If you have time, and you need to brush up on policy, consider attending 
the appropriate caucus. For example, if you need to up your game on 
environmental policy, attend the Environmental Caucus. You won’t have 
time to learn the nitty gritty details of policy at the convention, but you 

 
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can identify experts in your fields of interest who can be contacted after 
the convention. 

H. Send a note to Caucus Chairs/Secretary briefly introducing yourself and 

your candidacy and tell them you look forward to meeting them at the 
convention. Ask to speak at the caucus, perhaps about your project. (The 
Democratic Party website will usually list Chair and Secretary). 

I. Register online for the caucuses of interest (avoiding time-wasting lines at 
the conference). Ask for time to speak in advance or find out what process 
each caucus uses to introduce people (the Women’s Caucus usually has a 
notepad at the stage on which people sign up to speak (be early to add 
your name).  

J. Get your name in front of convention goers by purchasing an ad in the 

convention program book. A 1/4 page ad is fairly reasonably priced. You do 
not have to be a declared candidate to purchase an ad.  

K. Print cards with campaign info and contact information; spread them 
widely. 

L. You can purchase a table in the exhibit hall. You (when you aren’t doing 
more important things) and your volunteers (who you bring to the 
convention) work the table, spreading word of your candidacy. You and 
your volunteers should be seen all weekend wearing the colorful t-shirt 
associated with you and your campaign. 

What do I do at the Convention? 

A. Wear comfortable shoes and your colorful campaign t-shirt; carry a 
bag/backpack in which you can stash stuff, and carry snacks and water.  

B. Know that you can’t do it all; prioritize based on your campaign’s needs.  

C. There will be a workshop for new delegates early in the convention 

agenda. Go, and ask if there are people who would be interested in 
working on your campaign. 

D. Consider attending the Finance Committee; become familiar with the 

priorities reflected in the California Democratic Party budget. 

 
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E. Attend the general sessions: it is good to know what is important to 
convention goers. It’s a great opportunity to take photos with both 
national and state Democratic figures for your website. 

F. Review the list of workshops; some may be valuable to your candidacy, 

others not so much. If you are in the position to lead a workshop, it’s good 
exposure.  

G. CA Democratic Council can make endorsements separate from the party. 

Check their website for convention related activities. This might be a good 
place to find campaign volunteers.  

H. Get your name and your campaign out at every opportunity. Attend 
meetings, receptions, workshops and hospitality events. Work the 
hallways, the lines, anywhere people are gathered. It may initially seem 
unproductive to work lines with people from other parts of the state, but 
people outside of your area may be funders. 

I. Introduce yourself to caucus Chairs/Secretaries to whom you wrote notes 

earlier. Use your elevator speech. Be prepared to make a mini-report on 
your “project” if it is apropos. 

J. Attend caucus meetings: Many of these caucuses meet at the same time. 
Decide which are most important to you. Consider attending the largest 
caucus meetings (usually the women’s, progressives, labor and 
environment). Find out if you can speak at the caucuses and if so what the 
process for getting on a speakers list is. Find out if donating money to a 
caucus will get you name printed on their literature. If you are looking to 
become a caucus Chair, consider the smaller ones like elder or children 
related ones. 

K. Speak to resolutions you feel passionate about…by presenting solutions. 

L. Have those “coffee” dates with key people you want to meet.    

M. Take photos with people you admire and respect.  

N. Find out who is having large dinners at the convention. Your County 
Central Committee has a dinner, usually near the convention center. 
Democrats for America usually has a well attended dinner; it’s a great 
chance to meet other candidates. Go early, work each table, connect with 
people who could help your campaign. 

 
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O. If you have the excess energy, hospitality suites are an opportunity to 
network, socialize, meet people and maybe take photos. Not the most 
important time you will spend.   

P. Take notes on everything​ at the convention. When you get back home, 
report results of the convention (what you learned, what was important to 
people) to your CCC and local democratic clubs. 

What do I do after the convention? 

A. Using the notes you took at the convention, ask to give a “convention 
report” to your CCC or local Democratic club. This gets your name out 
there, lets people know you care about the Party. This may be helpful in 
finding campaign workers.  

B. Hand written thank you notes should be sent to key people you meet or 
who helped you at the convention. 

C. Follow through with any promises you made at the convention. 

D. Don’t forget about the contacts you just made; all those business cards 
you collected should not be thrown in a drawer. Add their names to your 
list. Keep in mind the more you help other people, the more other people 
are likely to help you. 

Executive Board 
The E-Board, made up of the officers of the caucuses and electeds, may be a 
less chaotic/smaller venue than the convention to meet Democratic party 
leaders. It can be useful for you to learn the names and faces of the leaders 
and for them to know you. Ultimately, you want to communicate to them 
that you are a candidate, give your elevator speech and ask for ​individual 
endorsements. E-Board endorses in Assembly and Senate races only if 1) 
there was no endorsed candidate in the primary or if the endorsed candidate 
did not make it past the primary or 2) if there is no convention before election 
day.  

Every 2 years they work on policy resolutions to be voted on by the body. 

Building relationships here is yet another opportunity to gain support for your 
candidacy and learn more about policy. As a candidate, you might find a 
resolution for which you feel passionate and can speak to and lobby for as 
 
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you are building relationships. Search to find something (that project you’ve 
developed?) for you to speak about that would be of interest to this group. 

Like other Democratic Party bodies and committees, they prefer not to feel 
that you are only paying attention to them when you want something. If you 
are considering a run in the future, begin building relationships prior to your 
candidacy. 

County Central Committee 

The CCC is your “home team;” you want them on your side. They meet 
monthly and are hugely important to a candidate especially as it relates to 
Democratic Party endorsements as they can “push up the chain” for your 
endorsement. This is one of the most important places for a candidate to be. 
You want to know who they are and what is important to them.  

Go early in your process. Attend the CCC events. Consider making a report 
about your “project.” Like the E-Board, they prefer not to feel that you are only 
paying attention to them when you want something. Begin building 
relationships prior to your candidacy. 

Democratic Party Clubs 

Clubs are important to a candidate. They will endorse you, possibly provide 
volunteers for your campaign, and put you on their mailer IF you have a good 
relationship with them.  

This is a good place to make convention reports to get your name and face 
out there. 

Like the E-Board and the CCC, develop relationships early, before you want 
something from them.  

 
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