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Diane Watson bids adieu to Capitol Hill

Former Congresswoman Diane Watson returned to Washington D.C. to wish her successor good luck.
Former Congresswoman Diane Watson returned to Washington D.C. to wish her successor good luck.
(
Kitty Felde
)

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Diane Watson bids adieu to Capitol Hill
Diane Watson bids adieu to Capitol Hill

Most of the 111th Congress left town before Christmas. But one member from Los Angeles returned to Capitol Hill and wished her successor good luck.

After 10 years, Diane Watson says she’s not sad to leave Congress, particularly because her hand-picked successor Karen Bass easily won her election.

"It would be nice to continue the challenge," she says, "but what is nicer is to put someone in my seat that I know will take care of business for the people. I’ve seen her do it."

Hand-picking members for that seat is nothing new: Democratic leaders asked Watson to run for the seat a decade ago when she was serving as Ambassador to Micronesia.

Watson, who’s 77 years-old now, says she’d like another diplomatic posting or a seat on the University of California Board of Regents.

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