Representative Karen Bass defeated billionaire businessman Rick Caruso in a highly contested race for Los Angeles mayor and will become the first woman in history to lead the city.
The Associated Press called the race Wednesday after numbers released by the LA County Registrar’s office showed Bass with a lead of nearly 47,000 votes over Caruso with 70% of the votes counted.
Bass will also be the first black woman mayor and the second black person in LA’s 241-year history to serve as Los Angeles mayor, following Tom Bradley’s tenure from 1973 to 1993.
The 69-year-old Congresswoman defeated the billionaire developer who spent as much as $100 million of his own money to run his campaign. Caruso, 63, was unable to get a majority of voters despite outspending Bass 11 to 1.
The Registrar is expected to certify the election results on Dec. 5. A week later, on Dec. 12, Bass will be sworn in as Los Angeles 43rd mayor.
