Villaraigosa To Endorse Clinton

by randymi [courtesy of Calitics: Soapblox California - Front Page]

This is a huge win for Hillary and a major blow to Bill Richarson. CNN is reporting that LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will endorse Hillary Clinton for president.

Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton has won the endorsement of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, a rising star in national Democratic politics and one of the nation's top Hispanic elected officials.

Villaraigosa was set to announce his endorsement Wednesday, joining Clinton at a campaign rally at the University of California-Los Angeles, two Democrats familiar with the planned endorsement told The Associated Press.

They spoke on condition of anonymity in advance of the official announcement.

Clinton campaign officials have actively sought Villaraigosa's backing, even enlisting former President Clinton recently to woo Villaraigosa over dinner at a tony New York steak house.

This really comes as no surprise to me that he would do this. He may be a progressive mayor but he likes to ride the winning horse. My prognosis: Richarson has been dealt a severe setback as Villaraigosa will be able to persuade a lot of Latinos to vote for Clinton. And this also sets up what could be a split between Northern and Southern California with Barack Obama, since Hillary is not very popular up here. Even within LA, we could see a similar divide if Obama can motivate African American voters. The problem for Obama is, the bulk of voters are in the south. It should be a fun January!