Suh to Back Holden if He Runs Against Shockley

Los Angeles City Councilman Nate Holden on Friday announced that if he is forced into a runoff in the still undecided 10th District race, he will run with the endorsement of former opponent Scott Suh, who finished third in Tuesday’s primary voting.

Suh’s endorsement could give Holden a substantial boost if he is forced into a runoff election against Madison Shockley. Votes in at least one precinct still are being counted.

With the final results a few days away, Holden has about 49% of the primary vote. Shockley’s tally is 20%, followed by Suh’s 15%.

Suh joined Holden at a news conference in a Koreatown hotel to announce their alliance. Suh criticized Holden during the campaign on issues such as the number of liquor licenses issued during Holden’s tenure, which Suh had called excessive.

Holden called the news conference, he said, to reassure Korean Americans that he will address their concerns whether or not they backed Suh’s candidacy. “I am your brother,” he said, placing an arm around Suh’s shoulders. “If you fall, I will not trample your beaten body. I will extend a hand to raise you to your feet,” Holden said.

Suh said that by endorsing Holden he is following the wishes of district voters. “The voters have shown me that they are with Mr. Holden, and I will honor that wish,” he said.

Suh acknowledged that his endorsement came reluctantly. “There is a lot I don’t like about Nate Holden, but he has committed to building a partnership, and not just with Korean Americans,” Suh said.

Holden declined to comment when asked if he would back a City Council run by Suh in 2003, when he will no longer be able to run because of term limits. “There are two things I don’t tell a person to do--who to marry and when to run for office,” he said.

Holden also did not speculate on how Suh’s endorsement might help him in a runoff because he said the final tally could show that he won a majority.

Suh’s endorsement startled the Shockley campaign, which expects support from many who voted for Suh. “I’m just baffled,” Shockley said. “Scott’s dislike of Holden was evident throughout the campaign. This smacks of political opportunism. It’s transparent,” Shockley said.

The campaign may also have exposed a rift between Holden and City Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas. At the news conference, Holden said Ridley-Thomas had supported moving his district boundaries westward to “move his district out of Koreatown as soon as possible.”

Suh said that Ridley-Thomas had met with him Thursday to ask him to back Shockley.

Responding to those remarks, Ridley-Thomas said he favored moving his district boundaries to maintain an African American majority. He said he met with Suh to discuss an endorsement, but did not ask Suh to back Shockley. “Why would I try to get him to endorse someone I haven’t decided to endorse,” Ridley-Thomas said.

Shortly after Ridley-Thomas was interviewed, Suh telephoned The Times and contradicted his earlier statement, saying that Ridley-Thomas had not told him to endorse Shockley.