Los Angeles — Billionaire real estate developers Rick Caruso and Karen Bass are heading for the November elections to become Mayor of Los Angeles. The largest city.
Neither candidate won more than 50% of the votes, so they should have been able to win completely on Tuesday, but both comfortably outperformed their opponents. The spill was declared by the Associated Press.
The surge in liberal city support for long-time Republican Caruso, who changed his registration to Democrat before declaring his candidacy, could deepen the Democratic division on crime, police and racial justice issues. ..San Francisco voters too Moved on Tuesday to remember Chesa BoudinThe city’s progressive district attorney.
Mr. Bass was widely seen as a crowded primary front runner before Garcetti’s admission in February, but his extravagant spending and a harsh message about crime quickly drove him to several others. Mayor Eric Garcetti for a limited time, who dropped the candidate from the race and replaced him.
Caruso, 63, the developer of several popular luxury shopping centers, closely linked his campaign with the clean images cultivated in the fake town squares of those properties. His campaign spent nearly $ 41 million, including $ 39 million in his own money. Much of it was spent on television, digital and radio advertising, portraying him as a successful businessman who could “clean up” Los Angeles.
If prominent Democrats gather behind Mr. Bass, Mr. Caruso could face a steep uphill during the general election.
Caruso’s victory will be a significant change in this overwhelmingly liberal city, where Senator Bernie Sanders easily won the Democratic primary two years ago. The city’s long-standing battle for housing, the homeless and crime has reached a new level of urgency during the pandemic.
Caruso described the city as one of the serious declines and promised to hire another 1,500 police officers and build 30,000 shelters in 300 days. This message resonated among voters who were deeply dissatisfied with the city’s homeless camps, visible on the sidewalks of houses, surrounded by parks, and spreading under the elevated highways.
Caruso impersonated an outsider and blamed the city’s illness on career politicians, including Mr. Bass. After voting in Boyle Heights’ predominantly Latin neighborhood, Caruso criticized his rivals, suggesting that it could take more than four years to resolve a homeless person in the city.
However, experts and critics say many of Mr. Caruso’s promises may not be possible due to federal court orders allowing people to camp in public and the city’s Byzantine zoning rules. say. The mayor of Los Angeles is relatively weak compared to the leaders of other big cities. Much of the vast area is managed by six members of the Los Angeles County Supervisory Board, which oversees the $ 38.5 billion budget.
After years of organizing in South Los Angeles after the 1992 riots and before being elected to Congress, Bass, 68, described her campaign as a kind of homecoming and was deeply layered. I promised to tackle the issue of fairness in the city. ..
The campaign between the two is also ready to test whether voters this year support an experienced politician who has spent nearly 20 years in government, or an outsider running his business qualifications. it’s finished.
Latin voters are expected to play a central role in the November elections and will be actively brought to court by both candidates. Polls also show a significant gender gap, with black and Latin men more likely to choose Caruso over Bas.
Understanding the 2022 midterm elections
Why are these midterm elections so important? This year’s race could pass on the balance of power in Congress to the Republicans and interfere with the agenda for the second half of President Biden’s term. They also test the role of former President Donald J. Trump as a Republican Kingmaker. Here’s what you need to know:
Caruso’s critics, including an independent spending committee supporting Mr. Bass, frequently compare him to former President Donald J. Trump. This is the analogy he rejected. Instead, Caruso and his supporters liken him to Michael R. Bloomberg, another party-changed billionaire who won three terms as Mayor of New York.
Caruso, a longtime Republican and generously donated to the party, switched registration independently in 2019 and became a Democrat this year shortly before announcing a bid for the mayor.
Caruso and his supporters argue that most voters in Los Angeles are not worried about the Republican cause and his past support for the candidate, including donations to candidates who fought the right to abortion. increase. Caruso dismisses criticism from organizations like Planned Parenthood and claims to support “women’s choice.”
Caruso’s campaign is backed by prominent veteran democratic advisors such as Ace Smith, Sean Craig and Juan Rodriguez. The three advised Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Gavin Newsom, who failed in the presidential election. Easily dodged the call election last year. Caruso’s team also included several advisors who helped Eric Adams win the bid for the Mayor of New York last year.
Mr. Bass, a former chairman of Parliamentary Black Caucus, was on the list of candidates for President Biden as a vice presidential candidate. Her adviser hopes she can strengthen her support among local and national Democrats, who believe it will overwhelmingly persuade voters in left-wing cities.
For the past four months, Caruso’s advertising has been almost inevitable in Los Angeles, spending more than ten times the amount Bass’s campaign spent on television, digital and radio advertising.
Rosario Guzman, 82, who was voting at the Avalon Carver Community Center in South Los Angeles on Tuesday, has never felt so dangerous in Los Angeles since moving from Mexico over 40 years ago and has hope. Said that. She is Mr. Caruso who has an ad she often saw on TV.
“I believe in him. There is a lot of faith,” she said, citing his Roman Catholic beliefs as the reason for her beliefs. (Speaking in Spanish, Guzmán repeatedly called Caruso “Señor Corazón” or Heart.)
