After months of speculation, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti put rumors to rest and announced Tuesday that he will not run for president.
“I have decided not to throw my hat into the ring to run for president in 2020,” Garcetti told reporters at a news conference outside of the Los Angeles City Hall. “This was not an easy decision, given the extraordinary times that we live in.”
In regards to serving as mayor, he added, “I realized that this is what I am meant to do and this is where I want to be.”
It had previously been rumored that Garcetti, who has served as Los Angeles’s 42nd mayor since 2013, would be the latest Democrat to enter the 2020 race. Under term limits, Garcetti must step down as mayor at the end of 2022.
One of Garcetti’s greatest challenges while serving as mayor has been that of homelessness. According to the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development, homelessness in Los Angeles has surged 75 percent since 2012.
According to the Los Angeles Times, “The problem has only gotten worse since Mayor Eric Garcetti took office in 2013 and a liberal Democratic supermajority emerged in 2016 on the county Board of Supervisors.”
Garcetti had previously traveled to several swing states in October last year. He visited South Carolina, New Hampshire, and Iowa. Many of his constituents reacted the same month by staging protests outside of his office. Some held signs that read “Quit campaigning and fix LA” outside City Hall.
While Garcetti has chosen to not enter the field, the pool of 2020 Democratic presidential candidates continues to grow.
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