Villaraigosa Poll Numbers
The LA Times has run two stories recently about Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s political future. Today’s story quotes a professor from my wife’s alma mater:
“His political capital is a lot like the California housing market. It has taken a hit lately,” said Jack Pitney, a professor of government at Claremont McKenna College. “Politically he still has an impressive house, but the house isn’t what it was a year ago.”
The graph above shows Villaraigosa’s political capital in a survey I conducted earlier this month with 406 likely 2009 voters in Los Angeles (±5 percent margin of error). Having worked for candidates running against Villaraigosa twice in the past, I’ve never been a member of his fan club. On the other hand, once he won election I very much wanted him to succeed as mayor — having called this area my home most my life, I do love LA. All to say, I look at those numbers and think Professor Pitney has got it right.
