Bob Novak provides some more interesting background on Riordan’s electoral slapdown.

I wasn’t previously aware of this, but apparently (and bizarrely), Riordan was actually proud of his RINO label. And for people who thought that he was a conservative Republican in 1992, check this out:

I first met Riordan, a fabulously rich businessman, after the 1992 Los Angeles riots. His suggestions for urban peace sounded sensible but not very conservative. In passing, he informed me he was about to run for mayor the next year. He indicated he would not stress his Republican affiliation in seeking the non-partisan mayoralty in an overwhelmingly Democratic city.

He was true to his word, even after entering the mayor’s office. Apart from flashing his RINO button, he fawned over President Bill Clinton, endorsed Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein for re-election and avoided Republican Party functions. He was so excessive in praising the way Federico Pena handled the 1994 Los Angeles earthquake as Clinton’s secretary of Transportation that he suggested Pena would make a good president.

Riordan has no one to blame for his loss but himself.