A new polling showed that Los Angeles City Council District 10 candidate Grace Yoo has a double-digit lead over incumbent Heather Hutt.
According to Goodwin Simon Strategic Research’s July 22-29 survey result of 459 voters in the Los Angeles Council District 10, Yoo received 46% support while Hutt had 34%. The poll was conducted online and via home and cell phones in English and Spanish.
“This is a clear reflection of residents’ fatigue with the current incumbents in the 10th District,” Yoo said at a press conference on August 19, adding, ”I believe residents have become strongly motivated to seek change and community reform after seeing a series of corruption allegations against the 10th District.”
The poll found that a whopping 48% of respondents said that the LA City government is “seriously off on the wrong track”. Forty-four percent of respondents said they want new community representatives for the City Council. Only 25% said they want the incumbent to stay in office.
Asian-American politician John Chiang, former California Treasurer (2015-2019), and Latino elder statesman Richard Polanco, former California Senate Majority Leader (1998-2002), both endorsed Yoo at the event.
“I look forward to seeing what Yoo can do to make our city more financially secure,” said former Chiang, who ran for governor in 2018. “I hope the Korean American community will choose Yoo who has a long history of service and involvement in the community.”
“The fact that good politicians are endorsing Yoo is a testament to her character and passion for service,” said Planco, who served in the state legislature for more than 30 years. ”With power surrounding city government, there is always the potential for corruption, and residents need to choose wisely.”
Still, the survey found that 20% of voters are still undecided about which candidate to vote. How Yoo appeals to them ahead of the November general election will be key. Yoo’s campaign is betting that if voter turnout increases and Asian-American voters rally behind her, she will have a chance.
In the March primary, Yoo took 23.1% of the vote against incumbent Heather Hutt. Hutt took 37.8% of the vote. Yoo lost the last election in 2020 to Mark Ridley-Thomas, taking 39.4%t of the votes. In 2015, she ran against Herb Wesson in the primary and lost, receiving 29.7% of the vote.
BY BRIAN CHOI, HOONSIK WOO [choi.inseong@koreadaily.com]
