Bass leads Caruso by more than 29,000 votes for L.A. mayor - Los Angeles Times

Rep. Karen Bass moved person to triumph successful the still-undecided Los Angeles mayor’s contention Monday, with an updated tally of results showing the congresswoman starring existent property developer Rick Caruso 52.15% to 47.85% astir a week aft polls closed.

The results are not yet definitive and thousands of votes apt stay to beryllium counted. But the latest merchandise saw Bass proceed to physique her lead, with experts saying they struggled to spot a way for Caruso to marque up the crushed ceded to Bass implicit the past respective days of results. She would beryllium the archetypal pistillate elected politician of Los Angeles, and lone the 2nd Black Angeleno to pb the city.

Bass present holds a 29,271-vote lead, according to the L.A. County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s office. Monday’s update heavy favored Bass, with the congresswoman taking successful 63% of the much than 76,100 recently counted ballots. Votes formed successful the metropolis of Los Angeles accounted for astir 40% of the latest tranche, which included 191,312 ballots successful total.

“These results mean Karen Bass is connected way to triumph the mayoralty of Los Angeles,” said Fernando Guerra, manager of the Center for the Study of Los Angeles astatine Loyola Marymount University. “For Caruso to triumph helium would not lone person to reverse this trend, but reverse it dramatically, winning the aforesaid percent of votes she has precocious taken. There has been nary denotation to judge helium tin bash that.”

Although Caruso held a flimsy borderline aft predetermination night, Bass has outpaced him successful each tranche of results released since. The registrar-recorder’s bureau estimated Monday that 655,300 ballots from crossed the region stay to beryllium counted, with metropolis ballots making up an undetermined fig of that total.

Raphael Sonenshein, manager of the Pat Brown Center for Public Affairs astatine Cal State Los Angeles, said the ballot totals appeared “to beryllium moving successful benignant of an irrevocable direction” successful Bass’ favor.

Paul Mitchell, a Democratic strategist and adept successful voting patterns, said Monday that helium couldn’t spot a way to triumph for Caruso based connected the accusation presently available.

“The accusation we person present is that these are each precocious ballots, they’re geographically distributed passim the metropolis and there’s nary crushed to suggest that the adjacent batch of ballots is going to beryllium immoderate antithetic than the batch of ballots we conscionable saw,” speech from marginal differences, Mitchell said.

At this point, “closing that spread would mean immoderate astounding flip successful these numbers, and there’s not truly a intellectually credible crushed to suggest wherefore that could happen,” Mitchell said.

“I americium honored and grateful for the enactment we are continuing to see. I americium optimistic and looking guardant to the adjacent update,” Bass said successful a statement. She was successful Washington, D.C. Monday connected legislature business, according to her campaign.

Caruso did not instantly remark connected the latest tranche of results.

This is simply a processing communicative and volition beryllium updated.