Just over a month after the field for the Los Angeles mayoral race finalized, newpolling suggests incumbent MayorKaren Bass could be facing an uphill battle. The latest Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies/Los Angeles Times pollshows Bass leading with 25%, followed by City Councilmember Nithya Raman at 17%, reality TVstar and Palisades Firevictim Spencer Pratt at 14%, community organizer Rae Huang at 8%, and techentrepreneur Adam Miller at 6%. Roughly a quarter of voters remain undecided.
“Generally speaking, throughout history, Angelenos tend to re-elect their mayors,” said Dan Schnur, a politicalcommunications lecturer at USC and UC Berkeley. “You have to go back more than 20 years, to 2005, to find the last mayor, James Hahn, who was not re-elected. But this poll, and this election, isn’t about broader progresson issues likehousing and homelessness.”
Schnur emphasized that this race is largely shaped by Bass’ handling of the recent Palisades Fire. According to the poll, only 31% of voters view Bass favorably, while 56% hold an unfavorable opinion of the mayor. “These are very discouraging, if not downright devastating, poll numbers for Karen Bass. She’s running ahead of her opponents only because they are not very well known,” Schnur said.
In an interview with EyewitnessNews earlier this month, Bass acknowledged the challenge but expressed determination. “I think the overall electorate is in a very sour mood. But it just shows me that I have work to do, and I’m ready for the work. I have always worked very hard. I’m a workhorse, not a show horse,” she said…