Los Angeles Times

California’s down-ballot races most contentious and costly in midterm election

An election worker unloads ballots at the Los Angeles County Registrar of Voters satellite office at Fairplex on Sept. 15, 2021, in Pomona, California.

More than $1 billion so far has been poured into California races — but with less than three weeks to go before voting ends, candidates for governor and U.S. Senate haven’t aired a single general-election ad that touts their campaigns.

What’s soaking up all the money and attention is the Los Angeles mayoral race, along with sports-betting ballot measures and congressional clashes that could determine the balance of power in Congress.

The Los Angeles television market is saturated with ads about the ballot measures and the race between billionaire developer Rick Caruso and Rep. Karen Bass to lead the nation’s second-largest city.

It is already the most expensive candidate contest in city history, drawing $76 million in spending as of last month. Caruso has outspent Bass by a factor of 10, with nearly all of his spending coming out of his own pocket. Then the

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