Why Los Angeles’ mayor runoff race will be historic

After seeing months of intense campaigning, Los Angeles still does not have a mayor-elect. US Representative Karen Bass will go against Rick Caruso in a runoff election scheduled for November this year. The two Democrats failed to secure more than 50% of the votes in the elections on Tuesday.  

An early tally of mail-in ballots showed Caruso with 41% and Bass with 38%, according to AP reports. The ballot for the mayoral race was crowded, with at least a dozen names listed.

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If Karen Bass manages to win the runoff elections in November, she will be taking over as the first Black woman mayor of Los Angeles. The Californian city has had only one Black mayor previously: Thomas Bradley.

Caruso, on the other hand, used his fortunes to his advantage. The billionaire real estate mogul has reportedly used funds that are greater than all his competitor’s funds combined. Caruso’s estimated $4.3 billion fortune allowed him to run a seemingly nonstop display of TV and online ads.

His campaign’s spending is over $40 million as of early this week. With the votes tied so closely, it is likely that Caruso may expand his campaign expenses to get a stronger grip on the elections.

Also Read: How Rick Caruso cashed in his clout for Los Angeles mayor bid

The last time City Hall veered to the political right was in 1993, when voters turned to Republican businessman Richard Riordan to lead the city in the aftermath of the deadly 1992 riots that erupted after four White police officers were acquitted of assault in the beating of Black motorist Rodney King, Associated Press reported.

Los Angeles will also vote with a changed demographic. With only 13% of voters in the Golden State registered as Republicans, Los Angeles has also seen a large influx of migrants. It is now more Latino, less White and more solidly Democratic.