Handicapping the 2010 race

Although the Schwarzenegger era doesn't officially come to an end until 2010, Democrats are already salivating about recapturing the Governor's office. You could tell by the elbowing for positioning (not to mention the tchotchkes) at the recent California Democratic Party convention that the primary race is already on. And it should be a doozy.

Steve Maviglio gives his view of how the race shapes up in the California Majority Report. (Link courtesy of the Sacrmanento Bee), saying Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has taken some lumps but still remains formidable.

Six months ago we made our first rankings of the possible contenders. Here are the latest rankings, with some changes and a surprising new entry at #15.

1. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (Last Ranking: 1)

Sure, he's taken his lumps lately: a split from his wife, a much-talked about nasty New Yorker article, a delayed reaction to the MacArthur Park May 1st incidents, and coming out on the losing end in a court fight over control of the city's schools. But he's also had his share of wins (most recently, the LAUSD school elections) and remains popular in multi-cultural LA, the epicenter of the 2010 Democratic gubernatorial primary. To date, Villaraigosa has been adept at navigating the land mines of the mayorship. There's likely to be more of those ahead -- not to mention what could be a contested re-election.