In a post on Facebook, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said he is “seriously” considering running for California’s open Senate seat.
The seat is currently held by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) who announced on her website last week that she plans to retire when her term ends in 2016.
“Too many Californians are struggling to make ends meet, pay the bills, and send their kids to college,” Villaraigosa said in the post on Saturday.
“They are looking for progressive leaders in Washington who will fight for them, like Senator Boxer has done for over 20 years. I was honored to serve as Speaker of the CA Assembly and as Mayor of Los Angeles and it would be an honor to serve Californians again in the future. The urgency of the needs of the people of this great state have convinced me to seriously consider looking at running for California’s open Senate seat.”
In a video posted on her website Thursday, Boxer said she wants to come home to California, the state she loves so much.
Though speculation has been brewing for years, the 74-year-old said her age is not a factor in her decision to retire.
“I feel as young as I did when I got elected,” she said.
Villaraigosa’s post had 108 “likes” on Facebook as of Sunday afternoon, and the majority of comments were urging him to run.
“Run. You got this,” commenter Darryl Silver wrote.
Other potential candidates include California Attorney General Kamala Harris (D), California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer.