Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti was in Atlanta Friday for the Democratic National Committee’s winter meeting, and he has been tapped to give the nominating speech for Obama administration Labor Secretary Tom Perez to become its chair.
The vote is scheduled to happen on Saturday, and Perez’s chief competitor for the role is Rep. Keith Ellison of Minnesota.
“As mayor of Los Angeles, I have seen Tom deliver progressive results for working families in my city and across the nation,” Garcetti said in a statement issued in January.
Ellison was a supporter of Sen. Bernie Sanders in his bid for the presidency, while Perez supported Hillary Clinton, and the vote between the two is seen by some political pundits as a struggle between the party’s progressive and traditional factions.
Garcetti endorsed Clinton.
Garcetti also held a fundraiser in Atlanta on Thursday, which was hosted by the Dentons law firm, according to Yusef Robb, a spokesperson for his campaign.
The mayor is facing 10 challengers in the March 7 city election.
— City News Service