Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterDemocrats are sounding the alarm about Rick Caruso’s first-place finish in the race for Los Angeles mayor in Tuesday’s primary, as the billionaire mall developer heads to a runoff against Rep.
Karen Bass.Caruso, who has run on addressing homelessness and crime, took 42% of the vote, leading Bass by more than five percentage points.
Votes are still being tallied and the margin could change, but the outcome is a setback for Bass, who was once the undisputed frontrunner in the race.“Yesterday’s result should be a wake-up call for Democrats across Los Angeles,” said Morgan Miller, the chair of an independent committee supporting Bass, who warned that Caruso is likely to spend tens of millions of dollars of his own money to win the runoff. “He must be stopped in November, for the love of L.A.” In an interview with Variety on Wednesday, Caruso said that his message is resonating with voters, and noted that he ran 10 points ahead of his showing in the last L.A.
Times poll, which was conducted in the last week of May.“People are tired of excuses,” said Caruso, who has spent nearly $40 million on his campaign. “They’re tired of these career politicians that continue to fail forward.”Jeffrey Katzenberg, the veteran Hollywood mogul, played a key role in convincing Bass to enter the race last year, and has given $850,000 to the committee backing her campaign.
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