Antonio Villaraigosa Wins Re-Election, Fuels Talk That He Could Become Governor

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who was re-elected for a second term yesterday, told a crowd of his supporters, "I stand before you all humbled tonight, humbled by your support and by your confidence."

Villaraigosa won the election easily after a rocky start to his first term, which saw the dissolution of his marriage due to an affair with a local TV news anchor, and the defeat of his plan to reform city schools.

His victory is now fueling speculation that Villaraigosa may be a candidate to replace Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger when his term ends next year.  An unofficial tally of the votes gave the Democratic mayor 56% of the electorate, he needed to capture more than half the vote to avoid a May runoff. The second place finisher among a pool of little-known rivals was attorney Walter Moore, who managed to garner 26% of the vote.