Gov. Gavin Newsom endorses Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass for reelection days ahead of primary
California Gov. Gavin Newsom endorses Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass in her bid for reelection, less than a week before the primary.
Newsom's endorsement comes days before the primary election on June 2.
"The work Karen Bass is doing in Los Angeles is making our entire state stronger, with an 18% decline in homelessness while it grew nationally, historic drops in violent crime, boosting film production in LA, and protecting our communities against ICE. She has my full support for reelection," Newsom said.
In a statement, Bass thanked Newsom for his endorsement and for his leadership.
"Governor Newsom has been a partner for Los Angeles at every turn — from delivering state resources that have driven down homelessness two years in a row, to standing shoulder-to-shoulder with us against Donald Trump's lawless attacks on our city, to cutting red tape so we can build more faster," Bass said.
Earlier this month, former Vice President Kamala Harris also endorsed Bass, citing her work to end homelessness and reduce crime.
"Mayor Karen Bass is the leader Los Angeles needs right now," Harris said. "She has done what so many said couldn't be done — the first ever two-year decline in homelessness, reducing crime to levels this city hasn't seen since the 1960s, and refusing to back down when the federal government came after our neighbors."
Bass has also gotten other high-profile endorsements from politicians, including Sen. Adam Schiff, Rep. Nancy Pelosi and nine other sitting LA council members, according to her campaign website.
Bass, reality TV star Spencer Pratt and LA Council Member Nithya Raman will be vying for residents' votes. If no candidate earns more than 50% of the vote, the election will head into a runoff in November.
Pratt hasn't outright declared himself as the conservative candidate in a race he's described as nonpartisan, but he's collected support from the right as it has progressed. Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton, who himself was endorsed by President Trump, said he's with Pratt "all the way" in the race.
Raman's support has primarily come from advocacy groups like Streets For All, The Prohousing Democratic Caucus of California and Abundant Housing LA. The LA chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, of which Raman is a member, declined to endorse her, saying "any future endorsements will only be considered if motivated by a petition and approved if voted on by the chapter's membership."
