LA mayor’s race: Bass and Caruso to face off in November

Rep. Karen Bass and real estate developer Rick Caruso were the top two vote-getters in Los Angeles’ primary election for mayor on Tuesday night, sending them both to a head-to-head runoff in November.

Caruso, a billionaire former Republican-turned-Democrat, jumped into the race late but managed to mount a formidable challenge to Bass, a widely-known progressive member of Congress who was originally considered to be a shoo-in for the job. The two are vying to take over after the departure of Mayor Eric Garcetti, who was nominated to serve as President Joe Biden’s Ambassador to India.

Many Caruso backers had hoped he would win the mayorship outright. But in spite of spending more than $37.5 million of his personal fortune and racking up a deep bench of celebrity endorsements, he did not break the halfway point on Tuesday.

When the race was called around 10 p.m., Caruso had 41 percent of the vote and Bass had 38 percent. A candidate needed 50 percent to avoid a runoff. Councilmember Kevin de León was a distant third with 7 percent.

Caruso managed to capture widespread attention for his tough-on-crime message and vows to “clean up” homeless encampments — two issues California voters are particularly concerned about this year, according to polling.

But the general election in November could prove much tougher for Caruso to crack. A poll conducted by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies a week before the primary showed Bass with the support of 38 percent of likely voters, and Caruso at 32 percent.

Public safety and homelessness have dominated the mayoral election. Despite calls in recent years for police reform, rising crime amid the pandemic has dramatically shifted candidates’ tone in the liberal city. Bass received some backlash from progressive Democrats who took issue with her more moderate stances, including a campaign promise to add more police to the streets of Los Angeles.

Ben Hauck, a Southern California vice chair for the progressive caucus of the California Democratic party told POLITICO in April that he felt Bass’ platform on public safety looked “more like a Joe Biden crime bill than a progressive platform.”