Nithya Raman beats incumbent Karen Bass in Los Angeles mayor's race
The democratic socialist city council member unseated a political heavyweight who had never lost an election, in a contest dominated by the 2025 wildfires.
At a glance
- Nithya Raman, a democratic socialist city council member, has defeated incumbent Karen Bass to become mayor of Los Angeles.
- Bass, a former congresswoman who had never lost an election, conceded in a social media post on Thursday.
- Raman campaigned on housing, homelessness, Hollywood jobs and immigration protection; the 2025 LA fires dominated the race.
Los Angeles voters have elected Nithya Raman as their next mayor, unseating incumbent Karen Bass in a result that surprised political observers in California.
Raman, a city council member and an Indian immigrant who ran as a democratic socialist, entered the race as a long-shot candidate against Bass, a former member of Congress who had never lost a race for political office.
Bass said in a social media post on Thursday that she had called Raman to concede. "While this is not the outcome we hoped for, the people of Los Angeles have spoken," she wrote, adding: "Moving this city forward is what Los Angeles needs from all of us." Bass said she would continue to work to ensure "the promise of a better life belongs to all of us".
Two biggest US cities led by democratic socialists
Raman has frequently been compared to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, another democratic socialist who ran on a progressive platform. Her win means America's two largest cities will be led by democratic socialists, a group that also includes high-profile figures such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the US, was always likely to have a Democratic mayor. The open question was how far left voters were willing to go.
What Raman campaigned on
Raman ran on a platform of change and of fixing what she called the "broken status quo and the politicians who failed them over and over again".
Her promises included cutting homelessness, increasing housing in the city, saving Hollywood jobs from continued cuts and protecting residents from immigration enforcement efforts. She also vowed to address the city's everyday problems, from beautification and road repairs to bringing back nightlife.
The fires overshadowed the race
The dominant issue, however, was the LA fires, which killed dozens of people and razed neighbourhoods across the area in 2025. Bass faced intense political fallout over her absence during the emergency and the city's response to the disaster.
The next mayor of Los Angeles will oversee the city's hosting of the Super Bowl in 2027 and the 2028 Summer Olympics.
Source: BBC World.
Questions and answers
- Who won the Los Angeles mayor's race?
- Nithya Raman, a city council member and democratic socialist, defeated incumbent Karen Bass. Bass said she called Raman to concede in a social media post on Thursday.
- What issues did Nithya Raman campaign on?
- She ran on change and fixing the "broken status quo", promising to cut homelessness, increase housing, save Hollywood jobs, protect residents from immigration enforcement and improve roads and nightlife.
- Why was Karen Bass criticised during the campaign?
- Bass faced intense political fallout over her absence during the 2025 LA fires, which killed dozens of people and razed neighbourhoods, and over the city's response to the disaster.
