Villaraigosa says he still has a path in California governor’s race

Despite continued single-digit polling numbers, gubernatorial candidate Antonio Villaraigosa remains confident he can pull undecided voters with his experience as former mayor of Los Angeles.

During a media roundtable on Tuesday hosted by the Latino Media Collaborative, CALÓ News’ parent organization, Villaraigosa said he is hoping “things are gonna break open” for his campaign in the next two weeks. Around 20% of likely voters are still undecided, according to recent polling.

“No matter what happens in this race, I could tell you, anybody who has seen the history of my time, it's been a time in the service of others,” Villaraigosa said.

The California Democratic Party’s most recent poll of voters showed Villaraigosa pulling 2% of the vote. Emerson College’s latest poll had Villaraigosa at 2.5%.

Both polls showed around 20% of voters still had not decided who they would vote for the next governor of California. These voters, specifically the Latinos who are undecided, are who Villaraigosa intends to and believes he can still convince he is the best candidate.

When CALÓ News asked Villaraigosa on Tuesday if he supports single-payer health care and the proposed Billionaire Tax Act, the candidate said he does not directly support either and that “there’s a middle.” In the same breath, Villaraigosa said he is not for abolishing ICE, but believes agents should be punished if they break the law.

“We need problem solvers, not ideologues,” Villaraigosa said, adding, “On single payer, on billionaire tax, it all sounds good … but at the end of the day, we want to elect serious people.”

In terms of the billionaire tax, Villaraigosa said billionaires are already leaving the state, which jeopardizes the income tax the state receives from those individuals. He said he believes billionaires should pay more in taxes, but that “the federal government should do that.”

Villaraigosa said he believes health care is a right and should be universal through a government-paid system, but that a single-payer plan in California will not work at this time. He pointed to extreme costs to implement the program, and noted that the federal government would have to sign off on it, which he believes President Donald Trump will not do. 

Throughout his gubernatorial campaign, Villaraigosa has pointed to his experience as California Assembly speaker from 1998-2000 and L.A. mayor from 2005-2013.

In his time running L.A., Villaraigosa hired close to 1,000 new police officers, implemented anti-gang programs and focused on public school investments, among other key priorities.

His time as mayor was marred by relationship scandals as well as ethics violations over an unintentional failure to disclose gifts he received during his time as mayor, according to a 2011 ABC7 article.

Pointing to what he perceives as voter dissatisfaction with current Democratic leadership, Villaraigosa said his party needs to understand the importance of listening to Latino voters. 

“We have got to understand, we can’t lose Latinos, because they’re the future,” he said. “We’ve got to adjust our politics in a way that we’re speaking to them and, more importantly, addressing their concerns and their dreams. And to the extent I’m able to convince (voters) that I’m the person to do that, I got a path.”