Bass, Caruso advance in Los Angeles mayor’s race

Rep. Karen Bass (D) and businessman Rick Caruso were projected to head to a runoff in Los Angeles’ mayoral race, according to The Associated Press.

Bass, who was on President Biden’s vice presidential shortlist, was anticipated to run away with the race. But Caruso, a mall mogul who until recently was a Republican, dumped roughly $34 million into the race and ran on a moderate platform focused on a rise in crime. 

Caruso’s rise has frustrated progressives, who see a champion in Bass and have a mixed record in midterm primaries so far this year. 

The two are running to replace Eric Garcetti, who resigned from the mayorship after he was tapped to be Biden’s ambassador to India.

California employs what’s known as a jungle primary, which has candidates of all parties run in one primary and the top two vote getters advancing to the general election if no candidate gets over 50 percent of the vote.