City Attorney Won’t Be Thrown for Loss

Getting trounced by Jerry Brown in Tuesday’s nominating election for state attorney general might have been a humbling setback for Los Angeles City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo, but the consensus among political experts was that it’s much too soon to write his political obituary.

Delgadillo, who still has three years left as city attorney, garnered just 37% of the vote in the Democratic primary to Brown’s 63%, but political pundits interviewed Wednesday saw the loss as nothing more than a temporary setback to a still-promising career.

“In hindsight, it might have been a miscalculation to run against Brown,” said Jack Pitney, professor of government at Claremont McKenna College. But, he added, “I don’t think the defeat is a fatal setback to his career.”

Democrat Bill Carrick, a veteran of Los Angeles political campaigns, says Delgadillo, at 45, still has a bright political future, even if he over-reached in taking on the well-known former governor for the Democratic nomination for the state’s highest legal post.

“He’s a young man, and he’s attractive,” Carrick said. “He tried to climb a very steep mountain here. Jerry Brown is an institution in this state. I don’t think Rocky had a chance.”

Several experts suggested that Delgadillo might benefit by aiming lower in his next campaign.

Delgadillo, they said, still might make a strong showing in a mayoral race, if incumbent Antonio Villaraigosa runs for governor in four years. Others suggested that Delgadillo consider running for district attorney in two years, although he would have a tough battle in the event that incumbent Steve Cooley seeks reelection.

Still others said Delgadillo should not rule out running for the City Council or the Legislature to build his reputation before making another try for statewide office.

Delgadillo, who was back in his office Wednesday, declined to discuss potential future political campaigns but said the loss did not sour him on politics. “I wouldn’t be human if I didn’t say I was disappointed. I am. But I am energized, too,” Delgadillo said.

In an interview minutes after conceding Tuesday night, Delgadillo said he planned to remain a political player and said it would be a mistake for anybody to write him off because of the loss.

Delgadillo said the campaign “has been a great experience for me. And I hope I will continue to provide leadership in this state. I don’t know where that’s going to be, but I’m going to work as hard as I can to solve the problems, and I won’t retreat.”

Several political observers said the damage to Delgadillo’s political career is lessened by the fact that nobody expected the city attorney to beat Brown.”I don’t think losing to Jerry Brown sets him back that much,” said Michael Shires, an associate professor of public policy at Pepperdine University.

Shires said Delgadillo’s position as a young Latino politician gives him a good shot in the future as the state’s demographics shift in his favor and term limits force out the old guard.

“I think his prospects are good,” Shires said, adding that Delgadillo needs to build his profile by taking on a statewide issue and building his contacts outside Los Angeles.

Supporters, including political consultant Harvey Englander, say Delgadillo demonstrated his viability as a statewide candidate by raising $5 million for the race.

“That shows he has a tremendous ability to raise money,” said Englander, a Democrat, who did not work on the campaign.

Englander agreed that there may be some local opportunities, including the mayor’s office, for Delgadillo, who is barred by municipal law from seeking a third term as city attorney. Few other potential mayoral candidates “will have the fundraising ability and the citywide presence,” Englander said.

Republican political consultant Arnold Steinberg said Brown did not run any negative ads against Delgadillo, so voters who were introduced to the city attorney are unlikely to have negative feelings about him. But even some close supporters said Delgadillo reached too far, too fast, in running for attorney general after five years as city attorney.

“The loss last night was a message: get some experience and prove yourself to us,” said one prominent supporter who asked not to be identified because he didn’t want to alienate Delgadillo. “He needs to show he is a man of substance.”

Some observers, including Xandra Kayden, agreed that Delgadillo over-reached. “It was a long shot to go against someone of Jerry Brown’s name recognition and durability,” said Kayden, a senior fellow at the UCLA School of Public Policy.

Throughout his longshot campaign, however, Delgadillo repeatedly shrugged off the notion that he had let his ambition get in the way of his judgment. “I’ve never acknowledged anything different than I was the underdog in this campaign, but I’m always prepared to take on a Goliath,” Delgadillo said.

Some suggested the loss might be a needed humbling experience for a politician whose advisors had taken to referring to themselves, at least half-seriously, as “Team 1600,” in reference to the White House and, by extension, Delgadillo’s possible presidential aspirations.

“It may wake up a few of his people, who were already thinking about him in the White House,” said Raphael Sonenshein, a professor at Cal State Fullerton.

Sonenshein said the loss “dents some of the image of the gold-plated candidate who can win at anything.”