On Thursday, Hillary Clinton—former U.S. Secretary of State—endorsed LA mayoral race contender Rep. Karen Bass, characterizing her as “a proven leader who will bring Angelenos together to solve problems while championing women’s rights and opportunities for young people.”
Bass said in a statement, “I’m proud to have worked with Secretary Clinton in Los Angeles, Washington and overseas on issues we both care about, including reforms to keep children and families from homelessness and to stop cycles of poverty.”
Bass came out of June’s primary as the front-runner, having finished with a lead of seven points over Rick Caruso, who had put in millions of dollars into the election campaign.
Bass also has almost exclusive endorsements from Democratic politicians across the board, both at the state and national levels, such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and Rep. James E. Clyburn. Also backing Bass are SoS Shirley Weber and California Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, alongside many other members of Legislature.
These endorsements have helped bring out the contrasts Bass and Caruso epitomize. Bass is a lifelong Democrat, while Caruso used to be affiliated to the Republican Party before changing over to the Democratic party in January.
Caruso is known for campaigning as an outsider, and has often condemned elected officials for not having what it takes to resolve city issues. Until now, he has garnered little support from establishment figures inside his party. Apart from a few high-profile celebrities who have endorsed him, Caruso has had to rely on backing in the way of law enforcement and business groups.
The LA Police Protective League, which is politically powerful, and represents the ordinary officers of the department, endorsed Caruso—a former Police Commission president— soon after he put in his bid for Mayor.
Also having made known their support for the real estate developer are the LA County Business Federation and The LA Chamber of Commerce. Moreover there are a handful of former and current elected officials—such as Councilman Joe Buscaino and John Lee, and former mayor Richard Riordan—who have endorsed Caruso.
Mayor Eric Garcetti and Gov. Gavin Newsom have not weighed in on who they think should win the race for Mayor.
While LA’s last open mayoral race was in 2013, President Clinton endorsed Eric Garcetti’s rival Wendy Greuel, who also happened to be an active and early backer when it came to Hilary Clinton’s Presidential bid.
Despite having backed Obama in 2008’s Democratic primary, Bass put up her support for Hilary when the 2016 race came around, announcing this days after the latter formally set off her candidacy.
