| | | | |  | | By Alexander Nieves | | | With help from Brakkton Booker, Ella Creamer, Rishika Dugyala, Shia Kapos and Teresa Wiltz
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Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo; Alex Gallardo/AP Photo | The Los Angeles mayoral primary was all about whether billionaire Rick Caruso could spend himself to an improbable victory. Now the ball is in Rep. Karen Bass' court. Results are still trickling in from last Tuesday's election, but at last count Bass trails Caruso by less than 2 percentage points — with thousands of ballots yet to be counted. There aren't enough votes left for either candidate to reach the 50 percent threshold that would crown a winner outright, but the close race between the top two contenders helps paint a picture of what's to come over the next five months leading into the general. Bass is a popular, longtime representative of her Los Angeles congressional district and founder of the nonprofit Community Coalition, which works to reduce violence and poverty in South L.A. She immediately became the favorite to replace outgoing Mayor Eric Garcetti upon her entry into the race last year, bringing a level of name recognition and influence uncommon in a municipal campaign.
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Karen Bass casts her vote in the contest to become Los Angeles' next mayor, joined by daughter Yvette Lechuga, far left, and grandson Henry DePaz, 7, in the primary election at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Mall Community, June 7 | Damian Dovarganes/AP Photo | But Caruso steamrolled his way into contention. His campaign spent more than $40 million — dwarfing Bass' $3 million — leading up to primary day, hammering away on issues like crime and homelessness that Californians say are among their top concerns. The deluge of ads worked to a point, helping the real estate developer grab 40 percent of votes as of Tuesday, despite polling in the single digits in January. Caruso's money will continue to play a major role in the race. But California elections observers believe the former Republican took his shot at pulling off a victory in the primary — which in Los Angeles historically attracts an older, whiter and more conservative electorate than in the general — and missed.
| | | | A message from Bank of America: HBCUs: Building networks of success for Black students. HBCUs are educating teachers, ministers, doctors, and other Black professionals who will shape American life for years to come. Bank of America is partnering with HBCUs nationwide to support African American educational and economic empowerment. | | | In the general election, "all the evidence indicates that it will be a group that is slightly younger, more diverse, and it's a group that would probably break more heavily for Bass," Jessica Levinson, an elections expert and professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles told The Recast. "I think that's why Caruso really wanted to win outright, because he knew that his chances were going to go down."
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Rick Caruso talks to supporters after a campaign event in Los Angeles, June 7. | Alex Gallardo/AP Photo | Bass is now very likely to receive an endorsement from the Los Angeles Democratic Party, which declined to back a candidate in the crowded primary field, and a corresponding boost in funding and campaign infrastructure, like increased staffing. Still, it's not a foregone conclusion that voters of color will throw their support behind Bass in November. A poll released by the Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies found Caruso was likely to outperform Bass with Latino voters and held strong support among Black men, nearly half of whom said they'd vote for Caruso. Both Bass and Caruso are making a point to woo Black and brown voters. Caruso dedicated at least $1 million to Spanish and Korean-language ads, and pulled in endorsements from celebrities like George Lopez and Snoop Dogg. Bass countered with ads in Mandarin, Korean and Vietnamese, and a Latino outreach effort backed by former L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and civil rights icon Dolores Huerta. Latinos account for around a third of Los Angeles' registered voters, while Asian-Americans are the city's fastest growing ethnic group.
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| Observers say that beyond the glitzy endorsements, Caruso's campaign promises to clear homeless encampments and crack down on crime resonate with voters across the city, including those in disproportionately affected low-income neighborhoods and communities of color. But as Sonja Diaz , executive director of the UCLA Latino Policy & Politics Initiative, points out, voters aren't a monolith. And the trend of general elections attracting more liberal voters holds true, no matter the racial/ethnic group. "The more people voting, the more people enthusiastic about casting a ballot, means that you're going to have a more diverse participation universe," Diaz told POLITICO in a May interview. "And the more diverse it is, the more progressive it's going to be." Caruso's cash isn't likely to see as much of a return in November, pollster David Binder and political strategist Dana Williamson said at a Sacramento Press Club event last week. That's because he'll be competing for airtime with high-profile ballot initiatives, including a pair of measures to legalize sports gambling in the state that have already drawn more than $220 million in campaign contributions. "Breaking through is going to be a totally different situation," Williamson said. As always, we'll be watching. All the best,
The Recast team
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| Power dynamics are changing. With The Recast, you'll get a twice-weekly breakdown of how race and identity are the DNA of American politics and policy. Was this forwarded to you by a friend? Subscribe to the newsletter here.
| | | TESTIFY The Jan 6 committee held its second public hearing Monday , where lawmakers presented evidence that members of then-President Donald Trump's inner circle, including members of his own Justice Department, repeatedly told him his election fraud claims were in fact wrong, reports our very own Brakkton Booker. Among those testifying in person: Byung "BJay" Pak , the former Atlanta-based U.S. attorney and Trump appointee who abruptly quit two days before the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol. He said he was directed by then-Attorney General William Barr to investigate claims that election workers at the State Farm Arena in Fulton County produced a "suitcase full of ballots." "We found that the suitcase full of ballots, the alleged black suitcase, that was seen being pulled from under the table, was actually an official lockbox where ballots were kept safe," Pak told the committee. WATCH: BJay Pak debunks Trump's 'suitcase full of ballots' claim
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| Barr was expecting Trump would ask him about the probe during an upcoming meeting at the White House, so he instructed Pak to prioritize the investigation. The allegations were first peddled by Trump's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, during a Georgia state Senate committee hearing roughly a month after the November 2020 election. During that hearing, Guiliani played a snippet of a surveillance video which he said showed Georgia election officials illegally counting ballots after election observers were told to leave. "The FBI interviewed individuals depicted in the videos … and determined that nothing irregular happened in the county and the allegations made by Mr. Giuliani were false," Pak added.
| | | | A message from Bank of America:   | | | Taking the lead on Monday, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), a member of the select committee, asked Pak if his successor, Bobby Christine, whom Trump hand-picked to replace Pak, continued to investigate claims of fraud. Christine continued with the investigation after his departure, Pak said, but didn't uncover any evidence that would change the outcome of the election in Georgia. In a written statement to the committee, Pak said he was planning to resign on President Joe Biden's Inauguration Day, but upon learning that Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on Jan. 3, 2021, was pressured by Trump to "find votes" to swing the state his way, Pak said he was "deeply concerned and disturbed." He resigned the next day.
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Brad Raffensperger speaks during a news conference on Nov. 30, 2020, in Atlanta. | Brynn Anderson/AP Photo | Raffensberger, who long drew Trump's ire for not uncovering some 11,780 votes needed for him to win Georgia, is also expected to testify before the committee. He handily fended off a Trump-backed challenger in Georgia's GOP primary May 24th and could appear before the Jan. 6 select committee in the coming weeks. The committee is scheduled to resume hearings Wednesday and Thursday.
| | | "THIS LADY IS COCKY" Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot , the first Black woman and first lesbian to lead the city, took office in 2019 by defeating machine candidates. She pulled the city through a pandemic, increased the minimum wage and put more resources into struggling neighborhoods.
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Lightfoot speaks at her election night party, April 2, 2019, in Chicago. | Nam Y. Huh/AP Photo | Yet she faces a rocky road to reelection in 2023 as festering crime remains a top concern among residents across the city. The issue threatens to make her a one-term mayor as opponents line up, arguing they can do a better job. North Side white voters who backed her in 2019 are skeptical this time because crime has gone up in their neighborhoods. Some Black ministers who stumped for her remain miffed that she shut down churches during Covid. And the business community is frustrated that violence hasn't been handled better. "After we stepped up and supported her, I don't feel we had the access that we should have. You could say we feel neglected," said the Rev. William Foster Jr. , a South Side minister who's endorsing Black businessman Willie Wilson for mayor this time around. "We should have been able to talk or have a town hall about how to keep churches open," he said. Polling shows Lightfoot has lost some ground with many Black and Latino voters, political insiders say. Factor in her prickly personality, which has earned her some critics, and it seems impossible for Lightfoot to sweep all 50 of the city's wards as she did in her first campaign. It all adds up to Lighfoot potentially facing a runoff. Her core constituency going into 2023 may rest with one voting bloc: Black female baby boomers. "I like how she handled Covid. I like how she works with police. And she pays attention to the little guy," said Patricia Davis , who works in the construction industry and is a member of the Westside Women for Mayor Lori Lightfoot, a group of Black women who plan to knock on doors for the mayor.
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Lightfoot in April 2020. | Nam Y. Huh/AP Photo | Davis points to Lightfoot's efforts to revitalize Chicago South Side and West Side as an example. And she likes that Lightfoot isn't afraid to face the heat when it comes to decision-making. Most recently, the mayor was criticized for lowering the weekend curfew for minors from 11 p.m. to 10 p.m., saying nothing good comes from teens being out late. "Sometimes I think 'Man, this lady is cocky.' But that's what it takes to get things done," said Davis. Lightfoot embraces the support. "The fact of the matter is, I'm a Black woman in America. People are betting against us every single day," she said during last week's campaign kickoff.
| | | ICYMI @ POLITICO Gun Talks — Negotiations in the Senate are ramping up for advancing some of the most expansive gun safety reform legislation in decades. Our colleagues on Capitol Hill report the race is on to hold a vote before Congress leaves for the July 4th recess.
| | | | A message from Bank of America: Historically Black colleges and universities have a long track record of serving as engines of social mobility.
To empower the next generation of graduates, Bank of America supports HBCUs through grants, entrepreneurship programs and advisory services as part of its $1.25 billion, five-year commitment to racial equality and economic opportunity.
"The history of HBCUs speaks volumes about the resilience of this country and the determination of Black individuals to obtain an education," says Ebony Thomas, racial equality and economic opportunity executive at Bank of America and a graduate of North Carolina A&T State University, the nation's largest HBCU. | | | Rice's Fiefdom – Susan Rice, who heads the White House's Domestic Policy Council, already has a sprawling portfolio that includes policing and racial justice, health care policy and abortion. She is also working on modest gun reforms should the push in Congress not materialize. More from POLITICO Magazine here.
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Susan Rice speaks in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus, March 23. | Patrick Semansky/AP Photo | Barnes & Fetterman – Sure it sounds like a law firm, but Democratic lieutenant governors Mandela Barnes of Wisconsin and John Fetterman of Pennsylvania may represent the party's best hope of expanding Democrats' control of the Senate after midterms. POLITICO's Marianne LeVine and Holly Otterbein break down this political bromance.
| | | THE RECAST RECOMMENDS Pulitzer Prize-winning author Geraldine Brooks' new novel, "Horse," weaves past with present in a story tackling race, art and history. It's on shelves today. Ouch! NBA players are the latest victims of Jimmy Kimmel's "Mean Tweets" segment. Jennifer Hudson has achieved EGOT status — reserved for those who have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony — after being recognized at the Tony Awards for her work as a producer on the LGBTQ musical, "A Strange Loop." Meanwhile, the late, great Lena Horne gets a Broadway theater renamed after her — the first for a Black woman.
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Lena Horne performing in New York on July 1, 1982. | Nancy Kaye/AP Photo | Award-winning journalist Linda Villarosa's new book, "Under the Skin: The Hidden Toll of Racism on American Lives and on the Health of Our Nation," is a damning indictment of the nation's racial health disparities, which, she argues cause Black people to "live sicker and die quicker" — regardless of class and educational attainment. Pharrell is back at it, this time teaming up with 21 Savage and Tyler the Creator in this trippy animation of their new song, "Cash In, Cash Out."
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| FKA Twigs brings serene, angelic vibes with her Tiny Desk (Home) concert.
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| TikToks of the day: Hummus with that?
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| Unexpected audience
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