Democratic Socialist Nithya Raman Beats Incumbent Karen Bass in Los Angeles Mayoral Race

Nithya Raman, a democratic socialist, has won the Los Angeles mayoral race, defeating incumbent Karen Bass. Raman entered the contest as a long‑shot city council member and Indian immigrant, but built support among younger voters and beat reality‑star Spencer Pratt in the primary. Bass, a former Congresswoman who had never lost an election and was LA’s first Black female mayor, conceded on Thursday via social media, writing, “while this is not the outcome we hoped for, the people of Los Angeles have spoken,” and adding she will continue to work for a better life for all residents. Raman ran on a platform of fixing the “broken status quo,” cutting homelessness, expanding housing, protecting Hollywood jobs, shielding residents from immigration enforcement, improving roads, beautifying neighborhoods and reviving nightlife. The campaign was dominated by criticism of Bass’s handling of the 2025 LA fires that killed dozens and destroyed neighborhoods, for which she faced intense fallout over her absence during the emergency. Raman’s victory makes Los Angeles, the nation’s second‑largest city, the second major US metropolis led by a democratic socialist after New York City’s Zohran Mamdani, and follows the election of democratic socialist Janeese Lewis George in Washington, D.C. The new mayor will oversee the 2027 Super Bowl and the 2028 Summer Olympics. President Donald Trump warned the left‑wing wins could be a disaster, and Republicans have launched attacks on the candidates.

Context

Democratic socialism combines progressive social policies with a belief in public ownership of key services. The shift to socialist mayors in the country’s two biggest cities signals a growing appetite for left‑leaning governance among urban voters.