Radical Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA) and billionaire businessman Rick Caruso will meet in a runoff after Tuesday’s Los Angeles Democrat mayoral primary, as neither one was able to earn above the 50 percent threshold needed to win.
Leading up to Tuesday, the race was shaped by the crime and homelessness crises. Caruso, a billionaire Republican-turned-Democrat in January, promised to fund the police and solve the homelessness issue. Caruso spent an estimated $4.3 billion on the race.
Bass claimed during the campaign she would hire 250 police officers out of desk jobs and into patrol. Bass’s move angered some progressives.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) in March endorsed Bass, who was on the shortlist to be Joe Biden’s vice president. Bass also won a number of celebrity endorsements, while Caruso was endorsed by Snoop Dog. Kim Kardashian, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Katy Perry have also stumped for Caruso.
In April, Caruso was leading in the polls by one percent.
Bass is best known for her soft spot for communist dictator Fidel Castro in Cuba. Bass has had a difficult time operating her campaign because she lost many staffers since the entered the race last year.
Caruso is widely known for banning boxer Manny Pacquiao and then-candidate Donald Trump from his properties due to their conservative positions on politics. After Trump’s win, Caruso amended his policy.
The midterm election aims to replace outgoing Mayor Eric Garcetti. President Biden tapped Garcetti to serve as his ambassador to India amid questions about his indifference to sexual misconduct by a key aide.
Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter and Gettr @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality.