CA-37: Congresswomen Waters and Watson Take Opposite Sides

Reporter John Howard has a story published in Thursday's Capitol Weekly which says that the Congressional Black Caucus will not endorse in the race to replace one of their recently deceased members due to a bitter feud between two of its prominent African American female members: Maxine Waters and Diane Watson.

The Congressional Black Caucus, torn between two major African-American candidates in the special election to replace the late Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald in California's 37th Congressional District, has refused to endorse either candidate.

The decision, in part, stems from an internal political feud between two of California's most visible black members of Congress: Rep. Maxine Waters and Rep. Diane Watson, who split over who should get the Caucus' backing in the June 26 special election. In the end, the Caucus declined to endorse either one in the Long Beach-area race. Waters favors Assemblywoman Laura Richardson and Watson supports Valerie McDonald, the daughter of the late congresswoman. The dispute over the endorsement was marked by heated exchanges involving Waters and Watson.
The Congressional Black Caucus' decision was in sharp contrast to the state Legislature's nine-member Black Caucus, which endorsed Richardson.

Wowsa. Wouldn't you have liked to be a fly on the wall seeing Waters and Watson throw down? It shouldn't be a surprise that the Califonia Black Legislative Caucus would endorse Richardson since she is a member of that organization!