Downtown Los Angeles- There’s no way to say it except to just say it: José Huizar is a campaign monster.
That was proved — nay, solidified — Tuesday night, when Huizar not only beat former County Supervisor Gloria Molina in the 14th District City Council race, but trounced her. The 66% of the vote that he received — Molina got 24%, with the remainder divided between three fringe candidates — blasted past even the sunniest pre-race prognostications. The victory not only let Huizar avoid a May runoff, it gave him a 6-0 record in elections, with four City Council wins and two school board contest victories before that.
Huizar now has the same number of election triumphs as Michael Jordan has NBA titles. Whoda thunk?
What is even more shocking than the record is how Huizar got here. Six months ago, when Molina entered the race, Huizar’s foundation seemed to be as shaky as a house made of balsa wood. A sexual harassment lawsuit filed by a former deputy looked ready to undermine his re-election bid. He seemed to be on the outs with Mayor Eric Garcetti. Molina’s name recognition and three-decade long record of public service threatened to splinter Huizar’s constituency.