LOS ANGELES >> Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti left the state Thursday for a nearly two-week personal vacation, though he will make one political stop in New Hampshire on Aug. 28, his spokesman said.
This is Garcetti’s sixth major trip since May and his second personal vacation since June, when he left the state for a weeklong vacation before attending the 85th annual U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting in Miami Beach.
Garcetti is going to New Hampshire to support the campaign of Manchester mayoral candidate Joyce Craig, but the rest of his trip will be a personal vacation, said Garcetti spokesman Yusef Robb, who did not disclose where Garcetti would be going other than New Hampshire.
Garcetti delivered the keynote opening address at the Center for American Progress’ Ideas Conference in Washington, D.C., on May 16, and on May 20 he spoke at the California Democratic Party Convention in Sacramento before traveling to Wisconsin to speak June 2 at the Democratic Party of Wisconsin State Convention.
The mayor also traveled to Europe in July for a 10-day trip that included a few public events in Germany and attending the International Olympic Committee meeting in Switzerland, although at least four days of his schedule were not publicly released and he did not make any public appearances during those days.
Garcetti’s trip to New Hampshire is likely to fuel more speculation that he is preparing to run for president in 2020. Because the state traditionally holds the first presidential primary election, politicians considering a national run often find reasons to make appearances in the state as they look to build support.
Garcetti has not ruled out a run for president, but he has not declared himself a candidate either while remaining coy about his political future. He was sworn in for a second and final term as mayor on July 1.
When asked by Politico in May if he was running for the highest office in the land, Garcetti said, “I’m not focused on running for president” before listing various reasons why being mayor of Los Angeles could qualify someone to be the nation’s chief executive, including that the city’s population is larger than many states.
“Does a governor of a state of 3 million have more experience than a mayor of a city of 4 million?” Garcetti asked.
He is due back in Los Angeles on Aug. 29.
