U.S. Rep. Karen Bass is projected to win the mayoral race in Los Angeles, making her the city's first female mayor.
The historic win comes after a highly-contested race for mayor in the nation's second-largest city between Bass and Rick Caruso, a billionaire who joined the Democratic party this year and spent nearly $100 million during his campaign. According to HuffPost, Caruso outspent Bass seven to one, with most of the funds coming from his personal fortune.
Bass is hailed as one of the nation's most prominent Black female politicians and was on President Joe Biden's shortlist of running mates for the 2020 election. For five terms, Bass has represented the city of Los Angeles, winning by a large majority each time she ran.
Bass initially made a name for herself in the 1980s, when she successfully secured millions from the government to address South LA's crack epidemic.
Caruso, her opponent, was a long-standing Republican up until a few years ago when he registered as nonpartisan. On the precipice of announcing his mayoral campaign, Caruso rebranded as a Democrat.
Both candidates focused their campaigns on discussing their plans to tackle the growing homelessness crisis in LA and the uptick in violent crimes, two of the biggest concerns among the city's voters.
Bass is now set to succeed outgoing Mayor Eric Garcetti, who was forced out of the position due to term limits.
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