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Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has begun to get the word out that he plans on running for a second term. According to the LA Times, Mayor Tony made mention of his plans, along with "his most personal remarks to date about the political fallout from his extramarital affair" on Wednesday during an interview on the Charlie Rose show.
The Mayor was also asked about his plans to run for governor, which have been circulating in the rumor mill for some time. The Times' quotes his reply: "Nothing could be further from the truth. . . . My first priority is this job. . . . I'm running for reelection. I'd love your support. I aim to work as hard as I have in the first 2 1/2 years, all through the first term and the second."
Locally, Villaraigosa has worked hard of late to regain the public's esteem, as well as precious favorability rating points, which took a cut of almost 20% when news of his relationship with onetime Telemundo reporter Mirthala Salinas. Nationally, he has been one of Hillary Clinton's most vocal supporters, even taking time to travel with her on the campaign trail in multiple states earlier this year.
Can LA trust Mayor Tony to take a second term and keep it? The Times suggests he might make a run for the Governator's seat, based on Villaraigosa's past behavior: "When seeking a council seat in 2003, he promised Eastside voters that he would serve a full four-year term, then left in 2005 when he won the mayor's race."
Photo of the Mayor in the 2006 New Year Parade in Chinatown by jimw via Flickr
