WASHINGTON — Kansas City-area Reps. Emanuel Cleaver and Sharice Davids savored California chocolate last year after the Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl.
This year, they’re hoping for Cuban sandwiches.
Cleaver, D-Mo., and Davids, D-Kan., have once again put Kansas City barbecue on the line as the Chiefs look to repeat as Super Bowl champions when they face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this Sunday.
The Democrats from both sides of the state line have made a wager with Tampa-area Reps. Kathy Castor and Charlie Crist.
“Chiefs Kingdom has been ready to Run It Back since last February, and the only way we fail to do so is if we miss the bus to the game on Sunday afternoon,” Cleaver said.
Cleaver has put up Gates Bar-B-Q, a Missouri favorite the congressman has long championed, while Davids has bet fare from Joe’s Kansas City, the iconic restaurant on the Kansas side of the metro.
If the Chiefs win, the Florida Democrats will owe Cleaver and Davids local specialties of Latin guava pastries, flan and Cuban sandwiches.
This year’s bet also includes a new, less tasty provision. Losers will have to wear COVID-19 masks with the logo of the winning team on the House floor, a pandemic-era stipulation that was not in the wager Cleaver and Davids made last year with California Democrats.
Crist, a former Florida governor, predicted the Bucs would pull off a victory on their home field as Tampa hosts this year’s Super Bowl.
“Beating the reigning champs on our own home turf, I couldn’t imagine a more incredible scenario,” Crist said. “I hope my esteemed colleagues from Kansas City are ready to rock the right shade of red on the House floor.”
