In speeches and interviews, he has portrayed himself as a potential champion of California’s interior, where he spent time during an extended “listening tour” that began in 2015.

Along the way, he’s taken shots at his better-funded rival, Gavin Newsom, the lieutenant governor and former San Francisco mayor, whose candidacy has been a favorite of voters in the Bay Area.

We caught up with Mr. Villaraigosa by phone. Some excerpts:

Q. How do you differ from the other Democratic candidates?

A. I’ve been talking about the need to focus on an economy that’s working for more people and building more middle-class jobs. We need to restore the luster of the California dream and make sure that that dream is for everyone, not based on your ZIP code or what part of the state you live in.

What have you been hearing from people in the Central Valley?

I think there is a sense that they want to be included in the California rebound that they hear politicians talk about in Sacramento virtually daily. When you hear people say “We’re creating more jobs,” what they don’t say is that, while that’s true, most of that has been in the Bay Area and along the coast.