The billionaire ex-Republican who could become L.A.'s next mayor

[brooklynite]

Politico

Even by the cash-flush standards of modern politics, Rick Caruso’s run for mayor of Los Angeles has been a shock-and-awe spending campaign.

The billionaire Republican-turned-Democrat has already dropped $34 million on the race, single-handedly making the June 7 primary one of the most expensive elections in the country. He’s spent $25 million on TV advertising alone this year, more than any other candidate for any office in America, save one prospect running for governor in Illinois, according to the ad-tracking firm AdImpact. And in those TV ads, Caruso hammers away at homelessness, crime and corruption at City Hall, a trio of top issues for Los Angeles voters, while casting himself as an outsider — “not just a talker, a doer,” one TV ad narrator says.

That barrage of advertisements on TV sets, on phones and in mailboxes has put Caruso — a real estate developer and a former civilian police commissioner whose father was a major Los Angeles-area car dealer — in a strong, top-two position in the mayoral primary. His main rival is Democratic Rep. Karen Bass, a longtime congresswoman and state legislative leader who came into the national spotlight during President Joe Biden’s 2020 running-mate search.

But Bass and an allied super PAC are only spending about $2 million combined on TV, outpaced by Caruso and his allies by more than 13-to-1. Kevin de León, a Los Angeles city councilmember and a former state Senate leader, is also up on TV, but he’s lagged behind Bass and Caruso in public and private polling.

His policy proposals aren't scary conservative bromides.(both he and Democrat Karen Bass are focusing on crime and homelessness). The big question is whether frustrated voters give him a chance in next week's Jungle Primary.

[viva la]

1. Oh, great, another Bloomberg

Just what we need.

Billionaires aren't just a symptom. They're a sickness themselves.

[brooklynite]

2. Boomberg was a popular Mayor with NYC Democrats.

[viva la]

5. Not a popular candidate for president though

Then again, after Trump, I think "billionaires" don't seem like good candidates.
(At least Bloomberg is a real billionaire!)

[brooklynite]

7. Most of the Democrats running for Mayor weren't popular candidates.

Most of the unpopular ones weren't billionaires.

[jrthin]

8. Not popular with the Democrats I know, including myself.

[brooklynite]

11. Popular with the Democrats I know, as well as the ones I don't.

See: 2005 election; 2009 election.

[DBoon]

6. another Richard Riordan

[LakeArenal]

3. Eh... Manchin is a Democrat. So I fear anything that might be a DINO.

[bahboo]

4. he is racking up the endorsements....even Snoop Dogg for chrissakes....

his commercials are on constantly...

[beaglelover]

9. I'm voting for him.

[IcyPeas]

10. Caruso joined the Democratic Party just 19 days before declaring his candidacy

He is being called Mayor Trump. another businessman billionaire property developer. No thank you. Snoop Dogg, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kris Jenner and Kim Kardashian have endorsed him.....

He was a republican until he decided to run for mayor.

...Caruso leveraged his family’s wealth to make his own real-estate deals. His net worth is about $4.3 billion — he had a Gulfstream with the “C” of his signature on the tail and has a superyacht named Invictus — making him one of the largest private developers in the country. His newest project is a hotel just up the coast in ritzy Montecito, where the gift shop is run by one of his most famous endorsers, his friend and business partner Gwyneth Paltrow. A longtime Republican and GOP megadonor, Caruso joined the Democratic Party just 19 days before declaring his candidacy; his campaign materials, all in shades of blue, helpfully identify him as “Democrat Rick Caruso.” Since announcing his run in February, Caruso has poured nearly $30 million of his own money into his campaign, yet he has declined to participate in many public debates, and grants few interview requests, including one for this story.

Here he is sitting in the front row of the republican debate 2015 (to the right of Jake Tapper):

Link to tweet