Jan Perry, Underdog in Mayoral Race, Hopes for Grassroots Support

Jan Perry may have raised far less money than her two major challengers in the March primary election for L.A.’s mayor, but the Los Angeles councilwoman who has presided over much of downtown's growth and expansion is counting on grassroots support from the African American community to help her win the race.

“People focus on money as a measure of status, and if this was a race just about money, then you might as well hold it today and elect the one who has the most money,” Perry told the Los Angeles Times during a campaign rally Saturday. “But I think this is not about that. “It's about the democratic process.”

Despite endorsements from well-known African American politicians such as Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) and Councilman Bernard Parks, Perry received just 8 percent of the votes from L.A. County democrats, the majority of whom backed her rivals, City Controller Wendy Greuel and Councilman Eric Garcetti last week, according to the Times.

On Saturday, Greuel opened an office in the heart of Perry's South L.A. district and announced a string of African American endorsements in what the Times said was an apparent bid to tap into the African American voter base in the area.

Click here to read the full Times story.