Los Angeles Mayor Race: Rick Caruso Holds Slim Lead Over Karen Bass In Early Returns
09.11.2022 - 09:37
/ deadline.com
Early results tonight in the hard-fought race to become the next mayor of Los Angeles were close, with developer Rick Caruso leading Rep. Karen Bass by less than 2,000 votes with 12% of the votes in.
Caruso held a slim lead over Bass, with 50.26% of the vote compared to 49.74% for Bass, according to the Los Angeles County Registrar- Recorder/County Clerk.
Who In Hollywood Voted For Karen Bass & Who Voted For Rick Caruso
The early results included vote-by-mail ballots cast before Election Day and vote center ballots cast before Election Day. Even a slim lead for Caruso is remarkable given he once trailed Bass by a considerable margin. A Los Angeles Times-U.C. Berkeley poll in late October indicated that the race was tightening after Bass had sizable lead earlier in the campaign. Experts cautioned the race was not expected to be called today.
Bass, a six-term member of Congress, is seeking to become the first woman and only the second Black person to lead Los Angeles. Caruso, a real estate billionaire, is looking to win a campaign that’s on track to spend over $100 million — much of it from Caruso’s own fortune and spent to propel him into contention.
Bass held a comfortable lead in the polls just a month ago, but the survey ahead of Election Day showed that Caruso had closed the gap considerably. Bass led Caruso 45% to 41%, a gap within the 4% margin of error. Furthermore, the poll found 13% of voters undecided.
A Southern California News Group poll conducted by J. Wallin Opinion Research from Oct. 15-17 found a 3-point lead for Caruso, which was also within the margin of error.
An earlier version of the UC Berkeley IGS Poll in early October showed Bass with a 15-point advantage among likely voters.
Whoever wins the