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| From left to right - AD50 candidate Betsy Butler, West Hollywood Mayor John Duran and LA City Councilman Paul Koretz (both have endorsed Betsy Butler in the AD50 race) |
Tensions ran high in West Hollywood this evening as AD50 candidate Torie Osborn beat out opponent Betsy Butler for another local Democratic club endorsement.
When the West Hollywood/Beverly Hills Democratic club voted to give its endorsement to Torie Osborn by a vote of 43 - 28, West Hollywood Mayor John Duran stormed out of the meeting as Osborn thanked the club membership.
Transcript:
DURAN: You all come out to West Hollywood soon. We're not going to work for you, Torie! This is bullshit!
CLUB MODERATOR: Can we please come to order.....
DURAN: This is bullshit!
CLUB MODERATOR: Please come to order.
DURAN: (Pointing at Osborn) You divided our community. You divided our community.
CLUB MODERATOR: Will the meeting please come to order.
DURAN: West Hollywood will remember, Torie.
CLUB MEMBER: You get out-organized, you get out-organized... (unintelligible)
DURAN: I'm not being a misogynist, I'm working for a woman (indicates towards Butler) Wake up! They're not all lesbians!"
This morning, Duran tweeted this:
Duran has endorsed Butler in the race.
Despite losing the support of every local Democratic club that's endorsed in AD50, Betsy Butler is widely expected to win the California Democratic Party's endorsement at it's annual convention in San Diego next month - largely due to the intervention of Assembly Speak John Perez, who helped Butler win a "pre-endorsement" caucus vote last weekend.
More photos from the meeting at this link.
Hmm, the mayor's reaction sounds like political cronyism. How sad that our political process has come to emotional outbursts. Torie Osborn really showed her strength and experience by her calm response. I wonder how this outburst bodes for the mayor's re-election?
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