LA Mayoral candidate Bass has been slammed for accusing her rival Caruso of purchasing an endorsement from a Latino group called Avance Democratic Club.
Karen Bass, a candidate for mayor, stated that her opponent, Rick Caruso, had purchased the endorsement of the Avance Democratic Club, which is a Latino organization.
Both candidates are gunning for the role of the Mayor of Los Angeles, California, and have been pushing their campaign manifestos over the past few months.
During a debate, Mayoral Candidate Bass said to her rival Caruso:
How much did you pay for it?"
As much as Mayoral Candidate Bass was engaging in suggestive banter with her challenger Candidate Caruso, the club in issue did not take well to her remarks.
Mayoral Candidate Bass felt compelled to issue an apology after making this comment, which infuriated the authorities of the Avance Democratic Club.
Several days later, an audio recording of a meeting held at the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor that had been secretly recorded revealed that someone had suggested the federation "purchase" Democratic groups.
This remark was made in the context of a discussion on increasing the political influence of the labor federation.
The episode raised attention to the ruthless and sometimes obscure mechanism that clubs use to give their endorsements and their habit of charging for memberships, which can, in turn, confer the privilege to participate in high-stakes endorsement votes.
Before an endorsement vote, candidates have the option of either persuading their supporters to purchase memberships or, in some instances, purchasing several memberships themselves.
They can also try to win over members of the club who are already in good standing before the vote.
It is also typical for club members to be members of unions. During the interview process, candidates may be asked what union backed them, and it is common for club members to belong to unions.
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