LA ELECTION AFTERMATH

Bill Clinton's Pardongate party has claimed its first victim, Los Angeles
mayoral candidate Antonio Villaraigosa, and the fallout could spread to New
York's mayoral race.

Why? Because a TV attack ad that many Latinos saw as racist helped beat
Villaraigosa, and ad-makers Bill Carrick and Hank Morris also work for New
York mayoral candidate Alan Hevesi.

Democrat Villaraigosa was a rising Latino star who led the race for mayor
until the revelation that he wrote Clinton years ago to seek a pardon for
convicted cocaine dealer Carlos Vignali.

Bingo! Trailing contender James Hahn aired a slashing TV ad that showed a
razor blade cutting cocaine, then someone smoking a crack pipe, then a
grainy, unflattering photo of Villaraigosa.

Critics said the ad was as ugly as the notorious, racially charged "Willie
Horton" ad used to boost George W. Bush's dad against Michael Dukakis in
1988. Villaraigosa said his son, 12, got teased that his dad dealt drugs.

The Los Angeles Times said the commercial appealed "to the public's basest
fears." La Opinion, a leading Spanish-language newspaper, called it "ugly
and racist." But it helped Hahn win by eight points on Tuesday.

"I think the evidence is very clear that, absent the Vignali ad,
Villaraigosa would have won," said his pollster, Mark Mellman (who's
working for Mark Green in New York).

Now the question is whether Hevesi's rivals will make the ad an issue in
New York. Hospital workers union chief Dennis Rivera, who uses
Morris-Carrick for union work, already is getting pressure to ditch them.

"Dennis' phone is ringing off the hook," a source says. "He's getting calls
from absolutely livid Latino leaders asking how he can be associated with
people who did a 'Willie Horton' ad? It's absolutely the worst stereotyping
of anybody Latino."