The election scene is heating up in California with the confirmation of the candidacy for governor of California Antonio Villaraigosaformer Democratic mayor of Los Angeles. Villaraigosa, a Latino with an extensive political career, will seek to unseat the state’s current leader, Gavin Newsom, in the 2026 election, a longtime rival with whom he has shared a bitter internal rivalry and then, surprisingly, an advisory relationship.
The former Los Angeles mayor has already identified himself as a candidate, reactivating tensions that reached their highest levels in the 2018 Democratic primaries, according to reports. Los Angeles calendar. On that occasion, Villaraigosa and NewsomThen the mayor of San Francisco, They had a close internal conflict Which was won by the latter, who eventually won the general election.
The political relationship between the two parties was characterized by strong confrontations. During the 2018 race, Villaraigosa criticized his opponent by calling him “elitist” and out of touch with the real needs of Californians, according to reports. news agency.
For his part, Newsom used an episode of the Villaraigosa administration to attack the former mayor: The $42,000 fine for immorality that the Latino politician had to pay To not advertise free tickets to concerts, prizes and sporting events. At that time, the financial penalty was the highest in the state’s history. Villaraigosa explained the violations as involuntary errors.
The former Los Angeles mayor, who served two terms (2005-2013), began his political career in union politics and later served in the California State Assembly. His first attempt to become mayor of Los Angeles in 2001 failed, but he prevailed in his second attempt.
Despite their general hostility, California politics showed resilience. In mid-2022, Governor Newsom appointed his former opponent as California’s “infrastructure chief.” Key advisory role To conduct business with federal funds.
But this appointment sparked controversy because of the funding mechanism for his position. A CalMatters investigation revealed that the nonprofit California Forward supervised Villaraigosa’s work and paid his salary.
Later, the organization stated that it could not pay the full salary, so the official received contributions from unspecified private donors, which sparked criticism for the lack of transparency.. Villaraigosa explained that he received $35,000 a month For his work he earned a total of $381,820 during his time as a government consultant.
First in @politicalFormer Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is running for the position of Governor of California for the second time https://t.co/pjUG1dPpOo pic.twitter.com/IIH73AnRxI
—Christopher Cadelago (@ccadelago) July 23, 2024
There are still months until the primaries June 2, 2026But the list of candidates on the Democratic side is already extensive, with several important names joining Villaraigosa: Katie Porter, Stephen Klubek, Xavier Becerra, Tony Atkins, Betty Yee, and Tony Thurmond. On the Republican side, there are Chad Bianco and Steve Helton, as well as independent Butch Weir.
Antonio Villaraigosa’s new candidacy promises an intense campaignwhere his past as mayor and subsequent relationship with Governor Newsom would define much of the political controversy in the Golden State.