Nithya Raman projected to win Los Angeles mayoral race over Karen Bass

Election Result

Nithya Raman has been projected to win the Los Angeles mayoral race, defeating incumbent Karen Bass in the November general election. The projection follows a tightly contested race that saw both candidates tied at 40% support among likely voters in a late poll by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies and the Los Angeles Times.

Campaign Dynamics

Raman, a Democratic socialist, first entered the race in February after previously endorsing Bass. She surged past third‑place candidate Spencer Pratt in the June primary, calling her campaign a "long shot" at the time. A week before the election, 41% of Pratt’s primary voters shifted to Bass, while Raman’s share of Pratt supporters slipped from 16% in September to 14% in October. Still, 45% of Pratt’s voters remained undecided in the final poll. Bass, who received endorsements from Governor Gavin Newsom and former Vice President Kamala Harris, also gained the backing of billionaire Rick Caruso a week before voting. Caruso posted that he would vote for Bass, citing concerns about Raman’s competence rather than ideology. Raman’s record includes co‑founding a homeless‑advocacy nonprofit and, in 2025, passing a 13‑2 motion to cap annual rent increases in pre‑1978 rent‑stabilized apartments.

Context

Los Angeles mayoral elections are officially nonpartisan, but candidates’ party ties often influence voter perceptions. The city faces ongoing housing affordability and homelessness challenges, making rent‑control measures a key issue in the race.