Los Angeles City Council member Nithya Raman has defeated incumbent Karen Bass to become the next mayor of the nation’s second-largest city. Her victory adds to a series of mayoral wins by democratic socialists, following Zohran Mamdani’s election in New York last year and victories this week by Janeese Lewis George in Washington, D.C., and David Morales in Providence, Rhode Island.
Raman’s rise in Los Angeles politics began after she moved to the city in 2013. Born in India, she arrived in the United States as a young child and trained as an urban planner at Harvard and MIT. She won a City Council seat in 2020 by defeating an incumbent and has since advocated for renters’ rights and additional affordable housing.
Before entering elected office, Raman founded a nonprofit providing homeless services and led Time’s Up Entertainment, a nonprofit established by Hollywood celebrities that raised money for victims of sexual harassment during the #MeToo movement. She is married to a Hollywood screenwriter.
Homelessness was a leading concern for voters seeking a change in leadership, according to LAist reporter Frank Stoltze. The number of people living on the streets declined during a two-year stretch early in Bass’s administration but rose again this year. High rents and home prices, along with delays in repairing potholes and streetlights, also contributed to dissatisfaction. Bass’s unfavorable rating exceeded 60%.
Bass also faced criticism over her handling of the Palisades fire. She was away from Los Angeles when it began, and many residents viewed her absence and response as evidence that both her administration and the fire department had been unprepared for the firestorm.
Although Raman belongs to the Democratic Socialists of America, she did not make that affiliation a prominent feature of her campaign. She emphasized affordability and police reform while criticizing a city establishment she described as resistant to change and unresponsive to residents. Her campaign faced opposition from the Democratic Party, the Chamber of Commerce and much of organized labor. DSA members helped spread her message through extensive door-to-door campaigning.
Stoltze said it remained unclear how much the outcome reflected support for Raman and the DSA, rather than dissatisfaction with Bass. Nationally, congressional candidates associated with democratic socialism gained six additional seats in this year’s election: two in New York and one each in Colorado, Pennsylvania, Michigan and California. Those results will bring the number of DSA-aligned members of Congress to eight.
The movement’s gains do not guarantee it will control policy decisions. An expected large Democratic majority in Congress could limit the influence of its eight aligned lawmakers. Raman will have opportunities as mayor to advance a progressive agenda, but she will also need cooperation from the City Council. Although three council members belong to the DSA, the council may not support her proposals.
