Former President Barack Obama has doled out what may be his first major political endorsement since stepping down from office to Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti.
“I strongly endorse Eric Garcetti for a second term as mayor of Los Angeles,” Obama said in a written statement, in which he referred to Garcetti as “my friend, a loyal ally and a great and visionary mayor of Los Angeles.”
Obama credited Garcetti with “raising the minimum wage, creating jobs and expanding economic opportunity,” as well as with successfully campaigning for Measure M, a sales tax measure in November to pay for public transportation projects.
Garcetti previously courted but failed to secure Obama’s support during a heated race against former city Controller Wendy Greuel in 2013, though he received support from what some saw as an Obama surrogate, former presidential adviser David Axelrod.
This time around, Garcetti is not expected to face as fierce of a fight. The closest challenger, political strategist Mitchell Schwartz, has mounted a spirited campaign but trails Garcetti’s $3 million war chest with just over $360,000 raised a month out from the primary.
Garcetti, who campaigned for Obama during his first run for president in 2008, said he is “honored and humbled” by the show of support. He pointed to their long-running relationship, in which the two collaboarted on efforts to “create jobs, build infrastructure and lift people from poverty all across our city.”
Garcetti has been a frequent visitor to Washington, D.C., during his current term, often stating that he was traveling across the country in order to speak to Obama Administration officials about securing federal funding for local transportation projects, homelessness programs and other needs.
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