Rep. Karen Bass says she is 'seriously considering' run for Los Angeles mayor
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Responded to favorable polling numbers and encouragement from supporters, Rep. Karen Bass said she is "seriously considering" running for mayor of Los Angeles in 2022.
A poll released on Aug. 23 by a California-based public opinion research firm found that more than a quarter of a sample of the city's Democrats supported Bass against other current and potential candidates for the 2022 mayoral election.
In an interview with KPCC/LAist, Bass said, "I have been overwhelmed and humbled by people pushing for me to do this, and I will say that I am seriously considering it."
She said that running for mayor "was not something I had thought about before -- I was planning to run for reelection. I am evaluating the situation now."
A spokesperson for Bass later confirmed the congresswoman's statements to ABC7.
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Along with Bass, D-Los Angeles, current and potential candidates included in the poll were former Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Austin Beutner, City Attorney Mike Feuer, Council President Nury Martinez, businessman Rick Caruso, and Councilmen Kevin de Leon, Mark Ridley-Thomas and Joe Buscaino.
Of the group, Buscaino and Feuer are the only ones who have announced a run for mayor in 2022. Ridley-Thomas announced on Aug. 16 that he will not run.
About 27% of Democrats polled said that if the election was held today, they would vote for Bass.
"A plurality is undecided, and the race is wide open, but Bass is the only potential candidate for mayor who can claim a real base of support," according to a summary of the survey of 803 Los Angeles voters, which was conducted between July 29 and Aug. 5 by Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz & Associates.
City News Service contributed to this report.
