Karen Bass has been elected the 43rd mayor of Los Angeles, and the first woman, the Associated Press projected on Wednesday.
Bass holds a 6.1% lead over businessman Rick Caruso after the latest update on Wednesday afternoon, with a margin of 46,578 votes.
More than 200,000 ballots remain to be counted, but as Bass has widened her margin the chance of a Caruso comeback has become increasingly remote.
Bass, a six-term congresswoman from South L.A., was the favorite of the Democratic Party, with endorsements from President Biden and former President Obama, among many other party leaders. Caruso, the billionaire mall magnate, spent more than $100 million of his own money on his campaign.
Mark Gonzalez, the chair of the L.A. County Democratic Party, said in a statement that the outcome “sends a clear message about the kind of Los Angeles we want and see for ourselves.”
“We’ve always said this race is about the soul of Los Angeles and voters clearly spoke up to reject an attempt to buy this race,” Gonzalez said. “I’m thrilled to congratulate Mayor-elect Karen Bass and know she and her team will quickly dive in with the kind of vision we need to keep progressing toward a future of inclusivity, equity and purpose.”
Bass centered her campaign on her strong ties to the Democratic Party and her pro-choice record, and sought to portray Caruso as a pro-choice Republican. Caruso switched his party affiliation to Democrat shortly before entering the race in February.
She also touted her plans to address the city’s homelessness crisis, saying she would declare a state of emergency.
Bass won support from a large swath of Hollywood, including Ari Emanuel, Shonda Rhimes, Rosario Dawson, Steven Spielberg, J.J. Abrams and Jeffrey Katzenberg. Katzenberg put $1.85 million into a committee to support her candidacy.
