After the June primary, Richardson seemed unbeatable. She was the only viable candidate left in the race from either side

When Laura Richardson ran for the vacant seat in 37th Congressional district, there were 19 candidates vying for the same seat. And though she did not garner an instant win—over 50 percent of the vote—she finished ahead of all the candidates. Since then no meaningful opposition had surfaced, making her win, in the general election, an inevitability. Her win on Tuesday confirmed what was expected. She will be heading to Washington D.C. to complete the unfinished term of her late predecessor, Juanita Millender-McDonald.

On election night Richardson was joyous and upbeat about her overwhelming success at the polls as she said, “I am thankful to Congresswoman Millender McDonald for the chance she gave me to be able to follow in her footsteps. I am also thankful to everyone especially the voters—those who worked with us and walked with us to make this night possible.”

It seemed such an exhaustive though momentous occasion that she was unable to get all the words out fluently, yet she continued, “When I get to Washington, I’ll be working to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and concentrate on the war at home. I want to bring those dollars back home to affect positive changes in health care, housing and all the problems that we face here at home. And lastly, I want to thank the (Los Angeles) “Sentinel,” and to Danny J Bakewell, Sr. for supporting me.”

Throughout Richardson’s career leading up to and becoming an elected official, she has always seemed to follow in the footsteps of Millender-McDonald. Richardson has openly stated, “I intend to continue the legacy of my mentor, Congresswoman Juanita Millender McDonald. When I ran for city council (of Long Beach), she was very supportive and when I ran for the 55th assembly seat, she wished me well, and was involved in my campaign.” Not surprisingly, both the 55th assembly seat and the 37th congressional district were previously held by Millender-McDonald. The 37th District encompasses Compton, Carson, Signal Hill, much of Long Beach and a part of South Los Angeles.

And if Richardson continues along the path of her mentor, she has a camaraderie’s welcome awaiting her when she arrives in the nation’s capital. During the primary, Congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, said concerning Richardson pending electoral victory, “Send us somebody who has her character (a reference to Millender McDonald). Send us another leader. Send us a person of dedication. We need us another bad sister.”

Well she got one; she got Congresswoman Laura Richardson.

Published in : News, Politics