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Rep. Karen Bass arrives for a reunion with the family of George Floyd on May 25, 2021 in Washington, DC | Drew Angerer / Getty Images
Representative Karen Bass officially kicked off her campaign for mayor of Los Angeles on Monday, a move that will reshape the contest to lead the second largest city in the United States.
Bass (D-Calif.) Capped weeks of speculation by confirming that she was running to replace incumbent mayor Eric Garcetti, saying in a statement that she was joining the race “with all my heart.” POLITICO reported on Friday that Bass had decided to run.
“Our city is facing a homeless public health, safety and economic crisis that has turned into a humanitarian emergency,” Bass said. “I have spent my whole life bringing groups of people together in coalitions to solve complex problems and produce concrete change, especially in times of crisis.
A well-known figure in Los Angeles politics after serving as President of the State Assembly and serving multiple terms in Congress, Bass enters the race with the benefits of broad name recognition and liberal voter support and black. She has already garnered pledges of support from progressive donors and the leadership of the Congressional Black Caucus.
It’s extremely likely that Los Angeles’ next mayor will be a Democrat given the city’s liberal policies. Democratic city council members Joe Buscaino and Kevin de León and city attorney Mike Feuer entered the race ahead of Bass.
President Joe Biden named Garcetti ambassador to India earlier this year. Garcetti’s confirmation hearings have yet to be scheduled and it is unclear how far away from the primary scheduled for June he would leave, if he got confirmation from the Senate. He cannot be re-elected next year due to term limits.
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