Nithya Raman, a relatively unknown Los Angeles City Council member, has defeated incumbent Mayor Karen Bass in a surprising election result that signals a major shift in the leadership of the nation's second-largest city. Raman, who was born in India, is backed by the Democratic Socialists of America. Her victory marks a generational change in city hall, following a similar trend in New York where democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani won the mayoral race last year. However, Raman did not attract the same level of national attention as her New York counterpart and emphasized her willingness to break away from progressive party norms during her campaign.
The candidacy of Raman represented a dramatic reversal, as she had initially endorsed Bass, a former ally. She stated that the city had reached a breaking point and announced her own entry into the race just before the filing deadline. In a statement following the election, Bass said she had called Raman to congratulate her on the victory. Bass acknowledged that while the outcome was not what she had hoped for, the people of Los Angeles had spoken. She committed to ensuring a smooth transition and stated that moving the city forward is a collective need.
Bass becomes the first Los Angeles mayor in two decades to lose a bid for re-election. Her first term was significantly impacted by the deadly Palisades fire, which started while she was out of the country. The incident caught the fire department unprepared, leaving many voters with a strong feeling that Bass should be held accountable for the devastation. This sentiment proved difficult for her to overcome during the campaign.
Raman's rise occurred during a year of significant Democratic divisions across the country, where insurgent left-wing candidates challenged establishment rivals. As part of her platform, Raman promised to oust the current police chief, whom she views as too accommodating to federal immigration authorities. She also pledged to improve basic services that have deteriorated over the years, addressing issues such as pothole-ridden streets, buckled sidewalks, and broken streetlights in various neighborhoods.
The new mayor-elect criticized Bass's efforts to reduce homelessness as ineffective. Raman proposed a new approach that would expand medical teams for people living in encampments and on the streets. This strategy aims to build trust and eventually bring individuals indoors. She also plans to provide more housing to move people out of city-rented hotels. Raman stated that her plans could reduce the number of people sleeping in tents and encampments by at least half by 2028, the year the city will host the Olympic Games, despite the long-standing difficulty of the issue and billions of dollars already spent in the region.
At 45, Raman positioned herself as the face of change, appealing to voters who were restless over long-running problems under 73-year-old Bass. A Berkeley IGS and Los Angeles Times poll conducted in late October found that about four in ten likely voters prioritized reducing homeless encampments, while about three in ten focused on public safety or affordable housing. Raman overcame criticism from Bass, who argued that Raman was not ready for primetime and too inexperienced to manage a city of 3.8 million people.
In one campaign advertisement, Raman highlighted the city's crisis by showing a lectern with no one behind it at the site of a massive warehouse fire from last summer, alongside images of Skid Row and shuttered storefronts. She asked viewers, 'Where is our mayor?' Bass countered by arguing she had made enough progress to merit a second term and branded Raman's views on policing and homelessness as extreme.
Raman's victory came despite limited backing from the Democratic establishment. Bass received support from California Governor Gavin Newsom, former Vice President Kamala Harris, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and nearly every member of the city council. Bass, who served in the state legislature and Congress before becoming mayor in 2022, was also considered for Joe Biden's running mate in 2020. Billionaire developer Rick Caruso, an important figure for the business community, said he was voting for Bass but did not formally endorse her.
Raman, an urban planner, secured support from advocacy groups such as Our Revolution, founded by Senator Bernie Sanders, and the Sierra Club. However, she had fewer endorsements from prominent local politicians. She recently held a private meeting with former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was not involved in the race, signaling her efforts to broaden her political circle. Expanding her network of allies will be crucial as she begins to govern a city that is home to a struggling entertainment industry, a major port, world-class universities, and a significant tourist destination.
