Bass widens her lead over Caruso in L.A. mayor’s race
LOS ANGELES (AP) — In a runoff election that seemed certain to be decided by the votes of the general public, L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa became the apparent winner of Tuesday’s runoff.
After voting in Hollywood, some voters at the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street said they heard an announcement that Villaraigosa had won.
Bass, a Democrat, was in second place, with about 6,900 votes. Caruso, a Republican, was in third, with about 5,600.
That was enough to give Bass a lead of more than 2½ percentage points over Villaraigosa, according to a tally by the nonpartisan secretary of state’s office.
“No question, she has pulled in what she needs to win this race,” Dave Roberts, co-owner of the Los Angeles-based Roberts Entertainment Group, which bought television rights to the mayor’s election, said as he tallied totals after voting. He later said: “We’re thrilled about her showing.”
Bass was accompanied to his home by three of her supporters, including her sister, Mary, who held a sign that read “I love you Mary!”
The Los Angeles Times endorsed Bass’ candidacy in its endorsement on Saturday.
More than 4,000 people voted in the election, with 5,800 ballots counted through Thursday, the deadline to register, according to the secretary of state’s election website. There were also about 4,100 absentee ballots, including those from Cook County.
The race was supposed to be decided by November, but the counting began over the weekend because some voters didn’t return their ballots because they were incomplete. The counting was later extended while the secretary of state’s office worked on an updated count.
In the early days of the race, one candidate was ahead of another, but by late Tuesday night, that dynamic seemed to have changed.
Villaraigosa had taken an early lead