WASHINGTON (AURN News) — U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., won reelection in a landslide, but she’s fighting to chair the House Financial Services Committee again, and Black women are stepping up to back her.
With Democrats taking back the House, Waters, 88, is seeking to lead a panel that oversees banks, housing and cryptocurrency. But U.S. Rep. Sean Casten, D-Ill., 54, is challenging her for the gavel.
Casten wrote in a letter to House Democrats that voters want real change and that the status quo isn’t enough. Waters outlined her own agenda on affordable housing, junk fees and consumer protection, telling colleagues it’s never been more important to have a proven leader.
Most Democrats on the committee have already signed on to back her. During Sunday’s weekly call, Win With Black Women and a coalition of Black women leaders released an open letter supporting Waters. The letter cited her record on rental aid and housing and argued that age alone doesn’t determine someone’s ability to lead.
