There are 11 candidates in the race for Mayor this year, but no one but incumbent Eric Garcetti has gained much traction in fundraising or name recognition among voters.
Below is the list of candidates hoping to take incumbent Eric Garcetti to a run-off:
YJ Draiman
David Hernandez
Eric Preven
Paul Amori
Diane Harman
Mitchell Schwartz
Frantz Pierre
Yuval Kremer
Dennis Richter
David Saltsburg
David Hernandez
Eric Preven
Paul Amori
Diane Harman
Mitchell Schwartz
Frantz Pierre
Yuval Kremer
Dennis Richter
David Saltsburg
Only local Windsor Square resident Mitchel Schwartz has raised funds to mount a campaign. Schwartz has raised almost $450,000, compared to all the others, who have raised less than $5,000 according to Ballotpedia. Last year, shortly after Schwartz announced his candidacy, the Buzz sat down with him to learn more about his long-shot effort. Jack Humphreville, Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council budget and DWP watchdog, and a local activist for Measure S, recently announced his support for Schwartz’s effort to force Mayor Garcetti to a run-off, in hopes of compelling Garcetti to provide “concrete answers.” Humphreville also said he appreciated Schwartz’s commitment to serve the full 5 1/2 year term should he be elected.
But if the only published poll on the race for Mayor is accurate, Garcetti will win next week’s election for Mayor. The poll, conducted this month by Loyola Marymount University’s Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Center for the Study of Los Angeles, found that “overwhelming support for Garcetti, coupled with the expected low voter turnout and the incumbency advantage virtually guarantees a majority win, eliminating the need for a runoff election in May.”
“Historically, voter turnout for off-year local elections has been extremely low,” said Fernando Guerra, director and professor of political science and Chicana/o studies at LMU. “This means that votes from those who do show up will have even more of an individual impact than those in higher turnout elections.”
The opinion poll was administered by StudyLA in January and February to 2,400 Los Angeles County residents through a mixed-mode (telephone and online) survey. Those who self-identified as registered voters living in the City of Los Angeles (n=950) were asked, “If the Municipal Election was today, for whom would you vote for mayor?”
The major findings include:
- Just over half of self-identified registered voters reported they would vote for Eric Garcetti.
- Almost 40% of self-identified voters reported that they did not know for whom they would vote.
- Of those respondents who selected a candidate, Garcetti’s support increased to 81%.
“Although we recognize the likely low voter turnout in this election, these results show Garcetti’s considerable influence and reputation in LA, and indicate that he is in a strong position to win the upcoming election,” said Brianne Gilbert, associate director at StudyLA.
Garcetti also won the support of the LA Times Editorial Board which noted, “Ten Angelenos are running against Garcetti for the job of mayor. They offer interesting ideas for increasing transparency and improving services, but none have the experience to run the nation’s second-largest city for the next 5½ years.”
To learn more about the candidates in the race, visit the League of Women Voters candidate’s page, which contains information provided by each campaign.
