Probably Not a Surprise, Waxman Endorses Lieu in Race for 33rd

Retiring Rep. Henry Waxman endorsed Sen. Ted Lieu, D- Torrance, today to replace him in Congress.

Lieu finished second in Tuesday's primary election to advance to the November general election, in which he will face Republican Elan Carr.

"Ted is the son of hard-working immigrants and has served with distinction in our armed forces and in public office," Waxman, D-Beverly Hills, said. "His life story and experience have earned him my strong admiration. I endorse Ted Lieu because he will always work tirelessly to strengthen the middle class, make higher education more affordable, help workers save for retirement and protect our privacy from intrusive NSA surveillance."

Lieu is expected to have a distinct advantage in the predominantly Democratic 33rd Congressional District, which covers an affluent area that includes the Westside, Malibu, Santa Monica, Bel Air and Beverly Hills.

Lieu edged out former Los Angeles City Controller Wendy Greuel in Tuesday's primary to reach the Nov. 4 general election.

Carr, a gang prosecutor in the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, managed to be the top vote-getter in the primary, thanks primarily to Lieu, Greuel and other Democrats in the race splitting votes among their party faithful.

Carr insisted, however, that he offered voters a viable alternative, despite lacking the fundraising strength of his opponents.

"We may not have had the resources our opponents had, but we had something much more important -- a strong conviction to confront Washington's broken status quo," Carr said after Tuesday's vote.

Carr's chief strategist, John Thomas, credited his candidate's first- place finish to voters being "ready to embrace an alternative to the status quo."

--City News Service