California: Democrats Look to Bass for Watson’s Seat
Speculation about possible successors to retiring Rep. Diane Watson (D) is centering on former state Assembly Speaker Karen Bass.
Local Democrats say Bass would be a favorite to win a primary should she run.
Watson, 76, announced last week that she will not run for a sixth term.
Watson won her seat in the heavily Democratic district in a 2001 special election and has successfully defended it since then, consistently winning more than 80 percent of the vote.
Watson did not try to anoint a successor, telling the Los Angeles Times that she wanted to look at all of the candidates in the race to succeed her before deciding whom to endorse.