CHICAGO, Illinois — Former Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D), who is now running for California governor, told Breitbart News on Tuesday night that his top priority for the state would be to “bring people together.”
Villaraigosa spoke to Breitbart News on the floor of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center as the programming for the second night of the gathering began.
Asked first what he would do differently from current incumbent governor Gavin Newsom, Villaraigosa pushed back against the question, saying that it should rather be what he would do as governor, without trying to distinguish him from Newsom. (Villaraigosa and Newsom ran against each other in the primary in 2018.)
“I think when you bring people together, and roll up your sleeves, you can get anything done,” Villaraigosa said.
He mentioned his past achievements as speaker of the California State Assembly, including an assault weapons ban and expanding state health care programs.
He did not mention the top issues that Californians say they face today, such as the state budget deficit, housing affordability, homelessness, the economy, and the migration crisis.
There are already several candidates for the open seat in 2026. Newsom will have reached his two-term limit and is thought to have presidential ambitions for 2028, regardless of who wins this November.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of “”The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days,” available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of “The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency,” now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
