Many pundits assumed that Bass would be the heavy favorite among Black voters due to her local and national records. Yet Caruso was able to secure several high-profile endorsements in the celebrity-heavy LA community, including hip-hop icon Snoop Dogg and music mogul Clarence Avant. One LA Times columnist called this the “Ice Cube effect,” drawing similarities to the former NWA member’s 2020 defection from the Democratic Party due to what he claimed was a lack of support from the party for Black men.
Although Black people only make up 13% of LA voters, they remain an essential constituency, especially for a Black woman running against a wealthy and well-connected white businessman. If Caruso can attract enough Black voters while also appealing to white LA residents through his tough-on-crime rhetoric, he has a chance of winning the run-off election.
For her part, Bass seems confident of her chances in November. In her only Twitter message after the results of Tuesday’s election were announced, Bass simply said “THANK YOU LOS ANGELES! Onward to November!” and linked to her campaign website.
Bass will have plenty of time to cement her support among Black voters and Los Angeles residents more generally between now and November. But facing a surging and well-funded opponent in Caruso, she’ll have to work to regain lost ground if she hopes to make history in LA.