L.A. Mayor Picked to Lead DNC in Charlotte

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who has been a staunch supporter of the president and recently praised his FY 2013 budget proposal, has been picked to lead the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., Sept. 3-7, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The appointment will be formally announced sometime today before the mayor is scheduled to attend a fundraiser with President Barack Obama in L.A. tonight.

Villaraigosa is one of the nation’s most well-known Latino politicians, and the Latino vote is expected to be key in this election. According to the USA Today, 67 percent of Latino voters cast their ballots for Obama in 2008 and that same portion said they would vote for Obama over Mitt Romney in the upcoming election, according to a recent Univision-ABC News poll. The Obama administration is reportedly expecting a large crowd of Latinos to attend the convention, where Villaraigosa will serve as spokesman and give several speeches.

Villaraigosa is also the president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. His term ends in June 2013 and his political future is unknown, but behind closed doors he’s expressed interest in getting to the governor’s mansion in 2014, reports the Times.