Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s flirtation with a presidential run in 2020 is the focus of a story Monday in the New York Times.
Speculation has grown over the last few months that Garcetti is exploring a White House bid, fueled by his recent announcements that he would not run for governor of California in 2018, nor challenge Sen. Dianne Feinstein for her seat.
Although Garcetti stopped short of telling The Times he is making a presidential run, he made it all but clear to that he is seriously considering it.
“There are 23 states that have a population smaller than Los Angeles,” he told the newspaper.
The article notes — as other political experts have — that no sitting mayor has ever made the jump straight to the White House.
“The classic rules of American politics are dying if not dead, if you look at the last two presidential elections,” Garcetti told The Times. “An African-American could never be president until one was, a TV reality star couldn’t become president until one was.”
If elected, Garcetti would be both the first Latino president and the first Jewish president.
Garcetti was re-elected in March to a second and final term with 81 percent of the vote. He served for 12 years on the City Council before becoming mayor.
–City News Service