Janice Hahn Will Run For 'Black' Seat in Congress

Janice Hahn Will Run For "Black" Seat in Congress

By Gene Maddaus Mon., Aug. 15 2011 at 5:35 PM

Janice Hahn

Well, this is gonna get ugly. Rep. Janice Hahn announced today that she will run in the redrawn 44th Congressional District.

The district runs from Watts to San Pedro, and includes much of her former City Council district. So what's the problem?

The problem is that this is one of three L.A.-area districts carved out for African-Americans. And, as we've pointed out before, Janice Hahn is not black.

Assemblyman Isadore Hall and Rep. Laura Richardson, who are both black, are also running for this seat. Hahn can rightly point to a long history of representing black voters, and will also likely invoke her father, Supervisor Kenneth Hahn, early and often.

But that doesn't mean race won't be a central issue in the campaign. Race was a major theme back in 2007, when the late Sen. Jenny Oropeza ran in the "black" 37th district and faced strong resistance. Hahn is likely to face much the same hostility.

In her press release, Hahn said she will run in the 44th "because I live in it."

"I know many of these communities and I understand the issues that affect them," she said.

Hahn won her seat last month, replacing retiring Rep. Jane Harman. But much of her coastal 36th District has been drawn into Rep. Henry Waxman's district. Another portion has been drawn into Maxine Waters' district. Hahn can't viably run in either one, leaving her the choice of running in the 44th or retiring after just over a year in Congress.

Now that she's decided to go for it, this should be at least as compelling and hard-fought as the Berman-Sherman slugfest in the Valley.

Tags:

Compton, Isadore Hall, Janice Hahn, Laura Richardson

We Recommend

hollywoodjeff

Well, this past week, Hahn disqualified herself in my estimate by choosing to go on an all expense paid week long trip to Israel, courtesy of the AIPAC charity front, the American Israel Education Foundation, rather than using the Congressional recess to meet and access the needs of the people in the district who voted her into office and who she is expected to serve until November, 2012

Vince O.

Gimme yo cash, b**** so we can shoot up the streetsGimme yo cash h* so we can buy some more heat.

Literally the only thing that's memorable about Janice Hahn IMO.

J. T. Price

There should be no "Black" or "White" districts or any other racial districts that limit political candidates by race or ethnic origin. Let any candidate file for election in a district and let voters in the district decide. That is what Rep. Jamice Hahn is doing.

That's my opinion

demsanddon'ts

A Black seat? Imagaine if someone claimed the 36th was a White seat or Jewish seat?

Laura Richardson is an ineffective House member and Hahn is a far better choice for voters.

Former House member Harold Ford of Tennessee was succeeded by Steve Cohen in his largely Afrcian-American district of Memphis. Peter Rodino represented the city of Newark, New Jersey for decades despite being White in a largely African-American district. Didn't Kenny Hahn represent this same area for years on the Board of LA County supervisors?

Race isn't the issue. The issue is the economy, jobs and a better future.