# LA Mayor’s Race May Become a “Slugfest” Between Former Allies

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/political-breakdown-683875/la-mayor-s-race-may-become-a-slugfest-between-former-allies
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/political-breakdown-683875/la-mayor-s-race-may-become-a-slugfest-between-former-allies.md
Podcast: [Political Breakdown](https://stenobird.com/podcast/political-breakdown-683875)
Published: 2026-06-18T23:11:00+00:00
Episode link: https://next.kqed.org/news/12088139
Audio file: https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.megaphone.fm/KQINC8960988365.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/political-breakdown-683875/episodes/la-mayor-s-race-may-become-a-slugfest-between-former-allies
Duration seconds: 1911

## Resource

The feud between Gov. Gavin Newsom and President Donald Trump escalated this week, with Newsom announcing the U.S. Department of Justice is investigating him and his wife. The decision to announce publicly before any official charges is unusual, but the investigation may help elevate Newsom as he weighs a possible presidential run. KQED’s Lesley McClurg and Guy Marzorati discuss what we know so far about the investigation and how it fits into Trump’s broader weaponization of the DOJ. Plus: the race for Los Angeles mayor is headed to a runoff between two Democrats, and some expect it to be a "slugfest." The candidates, Mayor Karen Bass and City Councilmember Nithya Raman, share many of the same policy goals, so the battle may be less about ideology and more about Bass' record and Raman's call for change. Lesley is joined by Mike Bonin, a former Los Angeles City Councilmember who now leads the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs. Check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠Political Breakdown’s weekly newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠, delivered straight to your inbox. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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## Transcript

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