Loretta Sanchez in 2016 CA Senate race

On Free Trade: Opposes TPP; joined union protests against it

Ms. Harris had previously been circumspect on the trade deal, but Rep. Sanchez's entry into the race has created a situation in which neither candidate wants to risk alienating the Democratic base on such a highly charged issue. If there were any doubt that both candidates had made the politically safe decision, they were quickly put to rest by the rapturous response that Sen. Elizabeth Warren elicited when she told the crowd that TPP would "leave American workers in the dirt."

On Immigration: Refugees are not the enemy, today nor in our history

Democrat Loretta Sanchez voted against the House refugee measure in Congress. In brief remarks before the vote, she indicated she was influenced by the history of her California district, heavy with refugees from Vietnam and neighboring countries. In an echo of today's circumstances, their arrival more than a generation ago was opposed by some. "We are ready to help resettle these refugees," she said, noting that most are women, children and the elderly. "Refugees are not the enemy. Remember the words on the Statue of Liberty: Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free."