Cleaver and Davids wager KC BBQ in Super Bowl bets with Pelosi, other California Dems
Rep. Emanuel Cleaver has bet House Speaker Nancy Pelosi a bounty of Kansas City barbecue that the Kansas City Chiefs will beat the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl this Sunday.
If the Chiefs win, Pelosi will have to pay Cleaver with a selection of California treats, including Ghirardelli Chocolate, See’s Candies, pistachios and walnuts.
“The 49ers have proven to be an exceptional team this season, but they haven’t faced Patrick Mahomes, the Legion of Zoom, or the gritty Kansas City defense,” said Cleaver, a Democrat and former Kansas City mayor.
In addition to Pelosi, who represents San Francisco, Cleaver has made the barbecue wager with Rep. Ro Khanna, a Democrat whose district includes parts of Santa Clara County, where the 49ers’ play. Khanna has wagered a basket of Ghirardelli Chocolate.
“After fifty years of waiting, this Sunday we will see the Chiefs bring a Lombardi trophy back home to Chiefs Kingdom. As Kansas Citians celebrate in the streets, I look forward to enjoying some of California’s most delicious treats, courtesy of Speaker Pelosi and Congressman Khanna,” Cleaver said.
Pelosi said Cleaver will have to come to San Francisco if he wants try the California treats and confidently predicted that Joe Montana’s original team would beat his final team.
“The Chiefs are an outstanding team, but nothing matches the spirit, talent and heart that our incredible San Francisco 49ers bring to the field every game,” Pelosi said. “The only thing that I’ll savor more than Kansas City’s famous BBQ is watching the 49ers become Super Bowl Champions!”
Cleaver’s office said the barbecue he’s wagering is from Gates Bar-B-Q, his favorite. Cleaver has a history of betting other lawmakers on the Chiefs.
He had pay Rep. Joe Kennedy III in barbecue last year after the New England Patriots beat the Chiefs in the AFC Championship, but this year he won an assortment of Nashville desserts from Rep. Jim Cooper after the Chiefs’ victory over the Tennessee Titans.
Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kansas, has made her own barbecue and chocolate bet with Rep. Eric Swalwell, a California Democrat and former presidential candidate who represents parts of the East Bay.
In a video posted to Twitter, Davids and Swalwell staged a showdown in the Capitol where they confronted each other wearing their respective teams’ jersey.
Davids wagered barbecue from Slap’s, a Kansas City, Kansas barbecue restaurant located close to her district office. Swalwell put up chocolate from the Blommer Chocolate Company in his district.
“As a candy lover myself, I’m excited to taste some of California’s finest chocolates, but nothing will be as sweet as when Kansas City beats the 49ers,” Davids said in a statement. “With players like Pat Mahomes on the field and thousands of KC fans in the stands, I have no doubt we’ll bring the Vince Lombardi trophy back home where it belongs.”
This story was originally published January 29, 2020 at 11:07 AM.
