Karen Bass defeated Rick Caruso in Los Angeles, California's mayoral race.
2022 General EmbedsThe incumbent mayor, Eric Garcetti, was term-limited after holding the position for two consecutive four-year terms, making him ineligible to run a third time. The Los Angeles mayoral office is nonpartisan, though the city — the second largest in the US — has elected Democratic candidates for the last five terms.
Bass is a member of the US House, an office she has held since 2013 after starting her career in the California State Assembly. Her platform issues included addressing the city's growing homelessness crisis and public safety concerns.
Caruso, a billionaire luxury real estate and shopping center developer, was similarly focused on the homelessness crisis and housing affordability in the area. Caruso, who previously served as president of the Los Angeles Police Commission, also promised to tackle rising crime rates in LA.
The race between Bass and Caruso also turned out to be one of this year's most expensive races. The billionaire poured an astronomical amount of his own money into his mayoral campaign, spending nearly $100 million.
As one of the most-watched mayoral elections in the midterm cycle, both candidates earned high-profile endorsements: Bass was endorsed by former President Obama and the Biden administration, while Caruso had supporters that included the city's police union, Kim Kardashian and Elon Musk.