Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) bemoaned how, despite California hosting "fancy" fundraising parties for many of the Democratic presidential candidates, her state does not have enough say in the nomination process compared to states like Iowa and New Hampshire.
Waters said that unlike Iowa and New Hampshire, her state has more diversity and contributes more to politicians when they are running for president.
"Well, I think my state is extremely important and that is why we moved up our primary. As you know, we have candidates who fly out to Los Angeles from everywhere to raise money. As a matter of fact, it had gotten so that you would have two, three, four at a time in Beverly Hills having dinners," Waters said.
"Some of our contributors who are very rich were holding fancy parties, trying to accommodate the request for donations and contributions. And so the conclusion, the thinking is that if we are supplying tremendous dollars to candidates, we ought to have more say," she continued.
Many of the current candidates have gone to California to raise money, but it was made into a liability for one of them. The issue was brought up during the sixth primary debate in December, where Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) attacked former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Peter Buttigieg for hosting a fundraiser in "wine caves" in Napa, California.
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"We made the decision many years ago that rich people in smoke-filled rooms would not pick the next president of the United States. Billionaires in wine caves should not pick the next president of the United States," Warren said.
"You know, according to Forbes magazine, I’m literally the only person on this stage who is not a millionaire or a billionaire," Buttigieg hit back. "So this is important. This is the problem with issuing purity tests you cannot yourself pass. If I pledge — if I pledge never to be in the company of a progressive Democratic donor, I couldn’t be up here. Senator, your net worth is 100 times mine."
