Former President Obama Endorses Karen Bass for LA Mayor

Former President Barack Obama looks on during the U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP26), in Glasgow, Scotland, on Nov. 8, 2021. Yves Herman/Reuters

LOS ANGELES—Former President Barack Obama has endorsed Karen Bass for mayor of Los Angeles.

“I am asking Los Angeles to vote for Karen Bass for mayor,” Obama said in a video released Oct. 29 by the Bass campaign.

“I know Karen. She was with me in supporting my campaign from the beginning, and Karen Bass will deliver results. ... Karen has always been on the right side of the issues we care so deeply about. She has devoted her life to serving her community, from working in the emergency room, to saving California from a budget crisis, to delivering relief during the COVID pandemic as a member of Congress,” he said.

Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA) speaks at her primary night event in Hollywood, Calif., on June 7, 2022. Kaelin Mendez/Getty Images

Bass, a Democratic congresswoman since 2011, was an early supporter of Obama’s 2008 presidential run, campaigning for him in 2007 when she was a member of the state Assembly.

“I am humbled and honored to have the support of President Barack Obama,” Bass said. “President Obama brought us faith in our government and hope for the future of our country.”

“It is impossible to overstate the impact of his work leading this country for eight scandal-free years advancing social and economic justice had on the nation and the world. That impact became even more obvious when it was followed by four years of corruption and crime emanating from the Oval Office. But we as a country are fighting back. We as a city are fighting back,” she continues.

“President Obama’s support underscores the contrast in this race and inspires our campaign as we share our plans to solve homelessness and make LA safer and more affordable for everyone during the home stretch,” she added.

Rick Caruso attends the Let California Kids Hear Campaign at The Grove in Los Angeles on Aug. 12, 2019. Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Caruso

Peter Ragone, spokesman for developer Rick Caruso, Bass’s opponent in the Nov. 8 election, said: “This election is about fixing homelessness, preventing crime, and ending corruption at the City Hall. Only one candidate had a track record of taking on the status quo and getting results.”

Bass has received the endorsement of most state and local Democratic politicians as well as President Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, while Caruso has been backed by former Mayor Richard Riordan, business groups including the Los Angeles County Business Federation, and the Los Angeles Police Protective League.

Bass apologized earlier this month for accusing Caruso during a debate of paying to receive an endorsement from the Avance Democratic Club, a local Latino political group.