2026 Los Angeles mayoral election
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The 2026 Los Angeles mayoral election will be held on June 2, 2026, to elect the mayor of Los Angeles, California.[1] If no candidate receives a majority of the vote, a runoff election will be held on November 3, 2026. Incumbent mayor Karen Bass announced her re-election bid in July 2024.[2]
Background
[edit]Karen Bass was elected mayor of Los Angeles in 2022, defeating businessman Rick Caruso in the most expensive election in the city's history.[3] Having emerged as a vocal critic of Bass's administration in the wake of the January 2025 Southern California wildfires,[4][5][6] Caruso may seek a rematch in the 2026 election.[7]
Candidates
[edit]Declared
[edit]- Asaad Alnajjar, Porter Ranch neighborhood councilor and candidate for Los Angeles's 12th City Council district in 2020[8]
- Karen Bass, incumbent mayor[2]
- Austin Beutner, former superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District[9]
- Vincent Wali, musician[8]
Publicly expressed interest
[edit]- Rick Caruso, founder of Caruso and runner-up for mayor in 2022[10]
Declined
[edit]- Kenneth Mejia, Los Angeles City Controller (2022–present)[8]
- Traci Park, city councilor from the 11th district (2022–present)[8]
Endorsements
[edit]Karen Bass
- Labor unions
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Dates and Deadlines". Close the Gap California. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
- ^ a b Zahniser, David (July 1, 2024). "L.A. Mayor Karen Bass launches her reelection bid, saying, 'We cannot afford to stop our momentum'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
- ^ Hyde, Carter; Kahn, Gabriel (November 4, 2022). "Mountains of Money in the 2022 Race for L.A. Mayor, As Visualized in Four Charts". KCET. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
- ^ "Palisades shop owner questions why private firefighters saved nearby stores, not hers". KTLA. February 12, 2025. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
- ^ Saul, Derek (January 8, 2025). "'There's No Water Coming Out Of The Fire Hydrants': Billionaire Caruso Becomes Top L.A. Fires Critic". Forbes. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
- ^ Arango, Tim; Baker, Mike; Bogel-Burroughs, Nicholas (January 9, 2025). "'Completely Dry': How Los Angeles Firefighters Ran Out of Water". The New York Times. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
- ^ Smith, Dakota (June 1, 2024). "Rick Caruso stokes talk about his political ambitions". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Wick, Julia; Zahniser, David (April 9, 2025). "Mayor Karen Bass is looking vulnerable. But will anyone challenge her in 2026?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 6, 2025.
- ^ Jones, Blake (October 13, 2025). "Austin Beutner launches bid to unseat Karen Bass in LA mayoral race". Politico. Retrieved October 13, 2025.
- ^ Marques, Felipe (September 3, 2025). "Billionaire Caruso 'Seriously' Looking at Running for Mayor or Governor". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on September 3, 2025. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
External links
[edit]Official campaign websites