Solis Aide to Run for Her Seat

By Jonathan Allen | April 6, 2009 10:40 AM | | Comments (0)

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Benita Duran

Benita Duran, a longtime L.A.-based aide to new Labor Secretary Hilda L. Solis, is jumping into the race to succeed her former boss in the House, clouding the picture in an already crowded primary field.

The May 19 primary is all but certain to determine the next representative for the overwhelmingly Democratic 32nd District.

Though her candidacy is not yet on record with the Federal Election Comission, Duran has established a campaign Website.

That makes her the fourth candidate in the race, joining Judy Chu, the chairman of the state Board of Equalization, state Sen. Gil Cedillo and Emanuel Pleitez, who was a member of President Obama's transition team.

Duran, Cedillo and Pleitez are all Hispanic, as are 62 percent of the residents of the 32nd, which is based in East Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley. Chu, like 18 percent of the district's residents, is Asian American. She already has snagged significant support from local labor leaders.

Duran was Solis' top aide in Los Angeles, which means she already has a presence in the area and has been working on constituent service at the ground level for years.

It is not clear whether she would draw votes from one of the two frontrunners -- Chu and Cedillo -- or both.

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