Another Bratton Endorsement Bites the Dust

Outgoing Los Angeles Police Department Chief Bill Bratton once told the Weekly that he would never personally run for office . . . but it still didn't keep L.A.'s Top Cop from backing political candidates when critics said he should stay out of the endorsement business.

Ted Soqui

LAPD Chief Bill Bratton with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa

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Now, with another Bratton pick losing at the ballot box, politicians themselves may want to reconsider getting the nod from the police chief-turned-security consultant.

Last night, in New York City, Bratton's choice for Manhattan district attorney, Richard Aborn, came in a distant third in the Democratic primary with 26 percent of the vote, according to the New York Times.

Cyrus Vance Jr., who was endorsed by longtime Manhattan D.A. Robert Morgenthau, was the ultimate winner with 44 percent of the vote, which marks another recent loss for Bratton as kingmaker.

Indeed, it's been a tough political season for Boss Bratton.

Jack Weiss, the chief's pick for L.A. City Attorney, was trounced by Carmen Trutanich this spring. And Bratton's choice for an Eastside congressional seat, Gil Cedillo, bit the dust in a major way to Judy Chu.

Bratton also didn't have much luck during last year's Democratic presidential primary -- he endorsed loser Hillary Clinton.

The chief did have some winners the past few months, which include Los Angeles City Controller Wendy Greuel, Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas and L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

But Bratton's endorsement of Villaraigosa didn't result in a blowout victory for the mayor -- in a race against such under-funded candidates as Walter Moore and Zuma Dogg, Villaraigosa only pulled in 55 percent of the vote.

While the chief may be good at fighting crime, Bratton's quickly finding out that politics is a rough business, and the wrong endorsement has a funny way of coming back to haunt people. Can anyone say Janet Napolitano?

Contact Patrick Range McDonald at pmcdonald@laweekly.com.