Rick Caruso spent $104M, most of it his own money, and still lost the LA mayor's race. He'll now take his place in history among the list of candidates who have funded record-setting campaigns in California, only to come up short.
LOS ANGELES — Rick Caruso ran for mayor of Los Angeles with more money than any previous candidate and a plan to overwhelm his opponent with new and infrequent voters — people fed up with politics and dysfunction in America’s second largest city.In his first run for political office, the billionaire developer lost decisively to Rep. Karen Bass after spending $104 million, most of it his own money.
The city’s political class also attributes the former Republican’s loss to his late party switch and thin political resume, the Democratic establishment’s power in Los Angeles — and Bass herself, a formidable candidate who was on President Joe Biden’s vice presidential shortlist. The batches of ballots counted after election day were largely vote-by-mail sent closer to the deadline, meaning it took longer for them to arrive in county offices. Those ballots tended to be from younger and more left-leaning voters — giving Bass the advantage.
John Shallman, a Los Angeles Democratic consultant, called that tactic a “very risky gamble,” arguing there wasn’t a particular policy issue that separated the two candidates and would drive turnout in Caruso’s favor. Unlike President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign, which rallied support from traditionally unlikely voters on a message of change, Caruso never captured the same type of passion.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Rick Caruso spent over $100m in loss to Karen BassThe billionaire businessman conceded to Bass on Wednesday evening in the race to become mayor of Los Angeles.
Read more »
Karen Bass Defeats Rick Caruso To Become Los Angeles’ First Woman Mayor — UpdateUPDATED, 4:15 PM: Rep. Karen Bass has defeated developer Rick Caruso in the race for Los Angeles Mayor, becoming the first woman to lead the city. With 70% of the vote tallied, the latest update fr…
Read more »
Karen Bass First Woman Elected as Los Angeles Mayor, Beating Billionaire Rick CarusoKaren Bass, a longtime congresswoman, beat real estate mogul Rick Caruso in the heated Los Angeles mayoral race.
Read more »
AP projects: Rep. Karen Bass defeats billionaire Rick Caruso to become LA MayorBreaking: The Associated Press projects that Karen Bass has defeated Rick Caruso to become the 43rd Mayor of Los Angeles. She will be the first woman to hold the position.
Read more »
Mayor’s Race Results: Karen Bass Declared Winner Over Rick CarusoThe Associated Press called the race after Wednesday's updated tally showed Bass with 53% of the vote.
Read more »