“Needs of the People” Prompt Former LA Mayor to Consider Senate Run

Former Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa says he is seriously considering a run for the Senate seat Barbara Boxer will vacate after deciding not seek re-election to a fifth term.

In a statement released Saturday, Villaraigosa says too many Californians are struggling to make ends meet, pay bills and send their kids to college.

"The urgency of the needs of the people of this great state have convinced me to seriously consider looking at running for California's open Senate seat," Villaraigosa said in a Facebook post.

Villaraigosa left the mayor's post in 2013 after two terms in office, in which he made education a priority.

Boxer was first elected to the Senate in 1992 -- the last time there was no incumbent running for reelection in the Senate in California -- and announced Thursday she would not run for office again in 2016.

The Democrat said she was making her announcement early enough in the election cycle to give potential successors plenty of time to organize.

Villaraigosa is among several high-profile Democrats who might try to succeed her.

Asher Klein contributed to this post.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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