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Nithya Raman Ousts Karen Bass to Win LA Mayor RaceWorld
Raman took 52.1 percent of the vote to Bass’s 47.9 percent, with the Associated Press calling the race on Thursday. She becomes the city’s first Asian-American mayor.
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Democratic socialist Nithya Raman has been elected mayor of Los Angeles, defeating incumbent Karen Bass in a major political upset that makes her the city’s first Asian-American mayor.
According to the Associated Press, which called the race on Thursday, Raman secured just over 52 percent of the vote compared with about 48 percent for Bass. With about 76 percent of ballots counted, Raman led by roughly 34,000 votes, taking 429,450 votes to Bass’s 394,796.
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Raman, a 45-year-old urban planner and city councillor since 2020, entered the race shortly before the filing deadline, despite previously endorsing Bass. Her campaign gained momentum over the summer, supported by the Los Angeles chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, of which she is a member.
“I love this city and I love its people. And I cannot wait to get started on building a better future together with all of you,” Raman said in a video message after her victory.
The election reflected growing frustration among Los Angeles residents over homelessness, rising rents, housing affordability and the city’s financial challenges. Raman campaigned on promises to reduce homelessness, lower housing costs, improve public safety and address concerns about city services.
Bass, 73, who had never previously lost an election, conceded defeat on Thursday. “While this is not the outcome we hoped for, the people of Los Angeles have spoken,” she said. Bass is the first Los Angeles mayor in two decades to lose a re-election bid.
Raman will become the second woman to hold the city’s top office. Her win came in midterm elections in which Democrats also won control of the US Congress, a result widely seen as a rebuke of President Donald Trump and his party.
Raman, 45, was born in India and is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University. Before entering politics she worked as an urban planner, and she has served on the Los Angeles City Council since 2020. She is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, a group to the left of the Democratic Party that also counts New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani as a member.
Bass, 73, had sought a second four-year term after facing criticism over her administration’s response to the devastating January 2025 wildfires in Pacific Palisades and Altadena. Raman is the first mayoral challenger to defeat an incumbent in Los Angeles since 2005, and Bass is the first Los Angeles mayor in two decades to lose a re-election bid.
Counting continued after the race was called, and Raman’s lead grew as more ballots were tallied. Her victory, alongside Democratic gains in the midterm elections, has been described by commentators as a sign of the growing influence of the party’s left wing in American politics.
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