Endorsement: Karen Bass for Los Angeles mayor
It’s been two weeks since Karen Bass announced that she would not seek a second term as mayor of Los Angeles. And yet, she still remains a contender to be the country’s next mayor. Here’s how she stacked up against 10 other major candidates running for the job.
Los Angeles
Former state Assemblywoman Karen Bass is running unopposed for a second term as mayor, despite an endorsement by President Barack Obama. The former state senator for the 34th Assembly District, a moderate Democrat, has had no trouble raising money and attracting a diverse coalition of supporters.
Los Angeles
Karen Bass
The endorsements of former President Bill Clinton and U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer did little to help her. Both endorsed former state Assemblywoman Carol Liu. The mayor also had strong support from local business leaders, local mayors and L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas. But most of the endorsements she received were from politicians of color — including former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Councilman Bernard C. Parks.
Los Angeles
Former Los Angeles City Councilman Tom Hayden had the most endorsements of any mayoral candidate: The City Councilman for the 8th District, a former Republican, had 13 endorsements from African-American, Latino and Asian American leaders. But he finished dead-last in the primary.
Los Angeles
Former State Senator Carol Liu had the most endorsements of any of the candidates — seven from the Los Angeles Times — but only the endorsement of former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton helped her to become a frontrunner. She received $500,000 in the primary and $1 million in the runoff, while the next closest candidate, former L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, only received $5,000 in the runoff.
Los Angeles
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa
He received only a handful of endorsements, but two of them were key: New York City’s former mayor Mike Bloomberg and L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, who was a leading critic of the city’s policy on so-called sanctuary cities.
Los Angeles
Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl
Rosendahl was the only city