"Former L.A. mayor and current candidate for governor Antonio Villaraigosa wants voters to know that he navigated billion-dollar budgets, cracked down on violent crime and championed the expansion of bus and rail lines. The onetime state Assembly speaker argues he's the only Democratic candidate with the experience to do the complicated job of running California."
"Because of his distance from elected office, combined with a decent but overshadowed fundraising effort, Villaraigosa lacks a high-profile platform to attract attention in today's fractured media universe, an essential ingredient he needs to remind voters about his experience and accomplishments as mayor and a state lawmaker."
"Political strategist Mike Madrid, who worked for Villaraigosa on that campaign, said the former mayor's absence from politics in recent years is a major liability in this race. 'He's a dogged, determined candidate,' Madrid said. 'But there are pretty stiff headwinds.'"
Antonio Villaraigosa, 73, is running for California governor and emphasizing his experience managing billion-dollar budgets, reducing violent crime, and expanding public transportation as L.A. mayor. However, he left office in 2013 and has been absent from elected politics since then. Recent polls show him at the bottom of the Democratic field, lacking the high-profile platform necessary to remind voters of his qualifications in today's fragmented media landscape. Political strategist Mike Madrid notes that his distance from politics represents a significant disadvantage. Villaraigosa previously ran for governor in 2018, finishing third behind Gavin Newsom and John Cox. He recently received support from the State Building and Construction Trades Council, which pledged $1 million to an outside committee backing his campaign.
#california-governor-race #antonio-villaraigosa #political-campaigns #democratic-primary #electoral-challenges
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