California primary kicks off divisive election season for Democrats --- (Reuters) - Californians headed to the polls on Tuesday for a primary election highlighting rifts in the state's dominant Democratic party, as incumbent labor-backed candidates fought reformers positioning themselves to take on unions in several races. -- The poll to choose candidates for governor, secretary of state and numerous legislative and congressional offices, was the kickoff to what may be a long and politically bloody election season for Democrats, as the state's open primary system allows the top two vote-getters, regardless of party, to square off against each other in November, and in many cases both will be Democrats. -- "It’s going to be like scorpions in a bottle," said political analyst David Mark, editor of Politix, a Palo Alto- based website. --- In Los Angeles, 18 candidates were certified to run for the seat being vacated by retiring Congressman Henry Waxman, including former City Council member and mayoral candidate Wendy Greuel, State Senator Ted Lieu and New Age inspirational author Marianne Williamson. -- The earliest, partial returns showed a surprising lead by Republican Elan Carr in the heavily Democratic district, although that could change with later results. -- The two who received the most votes Tuesday will square off in a November contest expected to get ugly quickly, Mark said. -- Several races involve candidates who have been allied with the state's powerful labor unions running against fellow Democrats who are not. -- In the contest for Superintendent of Education, incumbent Tom Torlakson, with strong financial backing from teachers unions, held a commanding lead in early returns against former charter school executive Marshall Tuck. -- Tuck had called for changes abhorrent to labor, including a lessening of seniority protections for teachers. -- Silicon Valley Congressman Mike Honda, who pushed for higher minimum wages and has strong support among labor unions, held a commanding lead, with 12 percent of the votes counted in his Silicon Valley district. -- Early returns appeared to show that his opponent in November would be fellow Democrat Ro Khanna, a lawyer and former U.S. Commerce Department official, who has support from powerful tech leaders, including Facebook executive and "Lean In" author Sheryl Sandberg. -- "It’s the sort of old school labor establishment versus tech start-up clash I think we’ll see more of in coming years," said Mark. --- In the race for governor, the top vote-getter in early returns was incumbent Jerry Brown, a Democrat who has steered the state on a moderate course and has high approval ratings. - More, http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/06/04/us-usa-politics-california-idUSKBN0EE11R20140604?feedType=RSS