Honda Stumping for National Party Vice Chair

For the past few months, Rep. Mike Honda of San Jose has been flying across the country, huddling with fellow Democrats and manning the telephones in his quest to become a vice chairman of the Democratic National Committee. In the last weekend of January, Honda journeyed by train from Washington, D.C., to meet with more than 200 delegates at New York’s Roosevelt Hotel. He now needs Democrats and Asian Pacific Americans to call their local representatives and push them to support and vote for him. There are five vice chairman slots with the DNC; usually two are filled by men and two by women. Political observers say a Latino or an African American usually fills the fifth position; that is the seat Honda is seeking. The San Jose congressman, a former teacher who speaks Spanish fluently, has won the backing of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (although its chairman, Bob Menendez of New Jersey, has announced he will stay neutral). The group wrote in its letter, “We are fortunate to have developed a special relationship with Mike, and we are impressed by Mike’s own long and special relationship with the Hispanic community.” [more]

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