Nithya Raman Defeats Karen Bass to Become Next Los Angeles Mayor

Los Angeles voters have chosen a new mayor. City Council member Nithya Raman defeated incumbent Karen Bass in the city’s runoff, according to projections and reporting from NBC News, the Associated Press, the Los Angeles Times, and NPR. Bass conceded on Thursday, Nov. 5, after late-counted ballots widened Raman’s lead.

With about 76% of the expected vote tallied, NBC News reported Raman at roughly 52.7% and Bass at about 47.3%. The Los Angeles Times described a similar picture Thursday evening — roughly 52% to 48% — and noted that Raman would be the first challenger to unseat an incumbent Los Angeles mayor in more than two decades, since the 2005 race that preceded Antonio Villaraigosa’s tenure. The result ends Bass’s single term as mayor of the nation’s second-largest city.

Abstract editorial illustration of Los Angeles City Hall silhouette, downtown skyline at dusk, and ballot motifs — no people or logos — Editorial illustration — not a depiction of any real person. (Daily Content News)

Who is Nithya Raman?

Raman, 45, is a Democratic Socialists of America-aligned City Council member who represents a district stretching from parts of the San Fernando Valley to the Santa Monica Mountains. Born in India and raised in the United States after her family immigrated, she attended Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and previously worked as an urban planner and housing activist, according to NBC News and other outlets.

Her campaign framed City Hall as stuck in a “broken status quo,” pressing Bass on homelessness, housing costs, and what Raman called a reluctance to pursue transformative policy change. Bass, a former six-term member of Congress and a longtime figure in California Democratic politics, argued that Raman was not ready for the mayor’s office after six years on the council.

How the race turned

Raman entered the mayoral contest late — in the final hours before the filing deadline — after initially endorsing Bass earlier in the year, the Los Angeles Times reported. In the June 2 primary, Bass and Raman finished first and second and advanced to the runoff, ahead of former reality-television personality Spencer Pratt.

Early returns after Election Day had Bass slightly ahead, but analysts and late mail ballots favored Raman’s younger and more progressive base. By Thursday morning she led by nearly 35,000 votes, the Times reported, and Bass called to concede.

Bass, 73, said in a statement that serving as mayor had been the honor of her life and that she accepted the voters’ decision. Both campaigns said they were committed to a smooth transition. Raman told supporters at the Original Farmers Market that Los Angeles had “opened its arms” to immigrants and that she would work hard to earn Angelenos’ trust and restore faith in City Hall.

Issues that defined the contest

Bass’s term included intense scrutiny after the January 2025 Pacific Palisades wildfire, which NBC News described as the most destructive in Los Angeles history. The blaze erupted while Bass was in Ghana for a presidential inauguration; it destroyed thousands of homes and killed 12 people. Raman also accused Bass of mismanaging homelessness and rising housing prices.

The candidates also differed publicly on the war in Gaza. At a September forum co-hosted by the Jewish Federation Los Angeles, Raman said she agreed with a characterization that Israel had committed genocide against Palestinians; Bass rejected that label, NBC News reported. Coverage framed the exchange as part of a broader generational split within the Democratic Party.

National outlets also noted that Raman’s win means the country’s two largest cities will be led by democratic socialists, with Raman joining New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani — a comparison Raman’s campaign both embraced in progressive branding and tempered by stressing independence from the DSA.

What’s next / Why it matters

Raman will inherit a city preparing for the 2028 Summer Olympics, a large test of infrastructure, transit, and security. Homelessness, housing affordability, public safety, and wildfire recovery remain central local debates regardless of party label. For national politics, the result is another data point in how progressive and establishment Democrats compete in major urban centers after the 2026 midterms.

Vote totals can still shift as remaining ballots are counted; the figures cited above reflect reporting with roughly three-quarters of the expected vote in. This article summarizes independent news coverage and does not endorse any candidate.