LOCAL ELECTIONS: CONGRESS : Maxine Waters Already Is Staking Out Her Claim

Maxine Waters is beginning to act a lot as though she has already won her first race for Congress.

There is a little matter of the election five weeks from now and the two opponents that Waters, a Democrat, faces on the ballot.

But the veteran Los Angeles assemblywoman hardly has been breaking a sweat on the campaign trail. Indeed, at times she has not even been on it.

Last week, for instance, Waters could be found in Washington, where she was being treated like a rising political star. She met with House Democratic leaders--including Speaker Thomas Foley--and members of California’s congressional delegation. She discussed, among other things, her possible committee assignments.

She also attended the 20th anniversary of the Congressional Black Caucus. As part of the event’s festivities, Waters and Carnation Co. co-hosted a reception to honor “Men of Courage,” who included her husband, Sidney Williams, a former professional football player who now is a car salesman.

The previous week, Waters was in New York for a meeting of Essence magazine’s board of directors, of which she is a member.

The outspoken Waters chafes at the suggestion that her travels indicate that, in her words, “I’ve got it all made and I have a seat already.”

Referring to her Washington trip, she said, “I don’t think this is taking away from the campaign.” She said she has maintained a regular schedule of campaign events and appearances within the 29th Congressional District, especially at churches.

But in a district in which registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by a whopping 7-1 margin and which includes much of the area she represented in the Assembly for the last 14 years, only minimal effort has been required to make her the prohibitive favorite to succeed retiring Rep. Augustus Hawkins (D-Los Angeles).

The district covers South-Central Los Angeles, South Gate, Huntington Park and part of Downey. Waters long has been considered the heir apparent to the 83-year-old Hawkins, who first won the House seat in 1962.

Even Waters’ Republican opponent, former South Gate City Councilman Bill DeWitt, 48, conceded he faces a “Herculean task” in running against her. Accordingly, DeWitt is conducting a low-key campaign on which he has spent little money.

And when he speaks of Waters, he praises her integrity and work habits. “I don’t have any rocks to throw at her,” he said.

Also on the ballot is Libertarian Waheed R. Boctor, who could not be reached for comment.

Her election seemingly assured, speculation among those familiar with the workings of Congress already has turned to how easily Waters--long a major player in the 80-member Assembly--would adjust to being a back-bencher in the 435-member House.

Some say that the lawmaker, who has raised more than $470,000 for her House campaign, has the potential to become a power in the House, where only one other black woman currently serves.

Others, though, warn that Waters would have to temper her sometimes abrasive style to get along with her colleagues and get anything accomplished.

During her tenure in Sacramento, the 52-year-old Waters served as a top lieutenant of Assembly Speaker Willie Brown (D-San Francisco) and gained a reputation as a champion of the poor and disadvantaged who could cut down an opponent as easily with an icy stare as with her barbed remarks.

One lobbyist based in Washington who asked that his name not be used speculated that Waters “will have a difficult time (adjusting to Congress). . . . I think she’s going to have to file the sharp edge of her tongue a little bit if she wants to get along” with her House colleagues.

The lobbyist said Waters “can be a powerhouse as a political figure and as an articulator of issues. But whether or not she becomes a legislative craftsperson is in doubt.”

Darry Sragow, a senior adviser to Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dianne Feinstein and a former Capitol Hill aide, predicted that Waters ultimately could have a major effect in Congress.

But, he said, she first must realize that the rules of Congress are different than the Assembly’s. “She may want to spend some time learning those rules before she steps out. It’s clearly tougher to stand out,” Sragow said.

Waters acknowledged that, if elected, she will have to determine “how the system works” in her new arena. “I will be just one of 435. Whatever that means I’m prepared to accept it,” she said.

But she bristles at the suggestion she should soften her style to fit Congress. Said Waters: “I didn’t create an image for myself . . . I’m just me and I won’t change.”