L.A. mayoral, California House races soak up money and attention
A young woman stands in front of the stage that will be set up for the candidate of the Los Angeles Mayor’s runoff election with Bill Simon. A young woman stands in front of the stage that will be set up for the candidate of the Los Angeles Mayor’s runoff election with Bill Simon. Photo: MARY FONDA, AFP/Getty Images Photo: MARY FONDA, AFP/Getty Images Image 1 of / 4 Caption Close L.A. mayoral, California House races soak up money and attention 1 / 4 Back to Gallery
LOS ANGELES — If you want an all-out, all-in argument on the candidates of the Los Angeles mayoral race, look no further than the last day of the Legislature and the opening day of the California Legislature.
One of those running for a third four-year term in Congress is the top Democrat on Tuesday’s ballot in Los Angeles, a race that’ll be decided by a runoff election with no party primaries.
On the same day, another Democrat on the November ballot is a California House member, this one in San Diego whose district went into deep crisis in July. The incumbent, Mike Honda, a Democrat and member of the powerful California State Teachers Association, will be facing a challenge from Republican Pete Aguilar in November. Both candidates, along with the Libertarian candidate, are vying for the seat vacated by term-limited Republican Pete Aguilar.
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“It’s the kind of race that keeps the whole nation engaged and focused,” said David Wasserman, the editor of the nonpartisan political newsletter Power Politics. “It’s not just a L.A. race, you can see how this could play out in San Diego, too. The attention is on two California seats.”
That’s the big challenge for anyone seeking to lead in California in 2021.
“We’re going to see a lot of people running for statewide offices,” said Michael Breen, a political analyst for the Center for Politics and Public Affairs at Golden Gate University. “That’s a reason why the campaign is going to be really important.”
MORE: Here’s where you can vote in the mayor’s runoff