Eric Garcetti, the mayor of Los Angeles, has ended months of speculation by announcing that he will not run for the US presidency in 2020.
Garcetti joins a select group, including the lawyer Michael Avenatti, the businessman Tom Steyer, and the former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick, who were rumoured to be in the race for the Democratic nomination, only to step back.
“I have decided not to throw my hat into the ring to run for president in 2020,” the mayor told reporters on Tuesday outside Los Angeles city hall. “This was not an easy decision, given the extraordinary times that we live in.”
But explaining his decision to remain in his current job, the 57-year-old added: “I realised that this is what I am meant to do and this is where I want to be.”
The announcement came days after Garcetti helped negotiate an end to a teachers’ strike in Los Angeles public schools.
It may represent good news for Senator Kamala Harris of California, who could have faced competition from…
