BLAME GAMES

The competency of Los Angeles’ Democratic leaders faces increased scrutiny as preparations for the 2028 Olympics struggle to match its lofty ambitions, which could damage the party in a major election year

- BY KHALEDA RAHMAN Khaleda Rahman is national correspondent at Newsweek. You can email her at [e-mail]

THE 2028 LOS ANGELES OLYMPICS WERE HAILED AS the “no build, zero cost to the city”

Games, the first in 80 years not to need the construction of new venues. However, the city and its Democrat leaders are facing mounting criticism over whether it can host a successful Olympics, as the bill to host it keeps rising.

Questions have also been raised over the viability of Democrat L.A. Mayor Karen Bass’ pledge to make them the “no-car Games,” while tackling homelessness and other public safety concerns ahead of the biggest global sporting event the United States will have hosted since the FIFA World Cup. Bass, already reeling from severe criticism of her handling of the L.A. wildfires in January 2025, when 31 people were killed and more than 18,000 properties were destroyed, now faces a mayoral runoff against City Councilmember and fellow Democrat Nithya Raman in November. Whoever wins will be under immediate scrutiny over whether the City of Angels can deliver on its third Olympics.

Starting on July 14, 2028, just months before the nation elects its next president, the Games offers Democrats the opportunity to showcase effective governance in one of the party’s prominent strongholds. Failure in front of the world’s eyes means the Olympics will become a symbol of dysfunction for Republican rivals to seize on.

“If Los Angeles fails to deliver on the promises made for the Olympics, whether it’s cleaning up homelessness, improving public safety, fixing transit, or keeping the Games from going massively over budget, it will reinforce what millions of Americans already believe; that one-party Democratic rule has been an abject failure in Los Angeles and too many big cities across the country,” Brian Seitchik, national political strategist at RDP Strategies, told Newsweek.