Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA), the frontrunner in the race for Los Angeles mayor, apologized to a Latino activist group after suggesting in a recent debate that her rival, billionaire developer-turned-insurgent candidate Rick Caruso (D), had bought their endorsement.

The Los Angeles Times noted Saturday:

Leaders of Avance Democratic Club had called earlier in the day for Bass to apologize for her remarks, which she made at a debate hosted Thursday by KNX News.

Bass targeted Avance during Thursday night’s debate, right after Caruso touted the endorsement he received from the group.

“How much did you pay for it?” Bass said, prompting Caruso to reply that she had insulted the club.

Bass apologized to the group, which was launched by staffers for current L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti (D). Caruso did donate $5,000 to help cover the cost of the group’s candidate event; Bass, though flush with Hollywood donations, declined to offer the same support.

As Breitbart News has recently noted, polls show that Caruso is even with Bass among registered voters, and is doing well among Latino voters, who are moving to the right. But Bass enjoys a wide lead among likely voters, giving her a clear edge in the race.

Caruso is a former Republican who has long taken liberal positions on social issues. He is focusing on crime and homelessness.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. His recent book, RED NOVEMBER, tells the story of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary from a conservative perspective. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.