Nithya Raman beats Karen Bass to become Los Angeles' first South Asian mayor
The DSA-backed council member took 52 percent of the vote, unseating Karen Bass and promising action on homelessness and affordable housing.
At a glance
- Nithya Raman defeated incumbent Karen Bass to become Los Angeles' first South Asian mayor, holding 52 percent of the vote.
- Raman, 45, was backed by the Democratic Socialists of America and won despite Bass's support from top Democrats.
- She pledged to expand affordable housing and change the city's approach to homelessness; Bass conceded after one term.
Nithya Raman, a progressive Los Angeles City Council member, has defeated incumbent Mayor Karen Bass to become the first South Asian mayor of the United States' second-largest city. The Associated Press called the race for Raman on Thursday, when she held 52 percent of the vote.
Raman, 45, won despite Bass's backing from prominent Democrats, including California Governor Gavin Newsom, former Vice President Kamala Harris and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Her own campaign was supported by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).
Her victory came amid a wider surge for the left-wing movement. A record number of DSA-backed or affiliated candidates won federal offices in Tuesday's midterm elections. The group says it contributed to at least 300 candidacies or ballot referendums during the midterms and expects to count 105 of them as victories. Among the congressional winners were Darializa Avila Chevalier, Claire Valdez, Melat Kiros and Chris Rabb, all elected to first terms as US representatives. Raman's win follows Zohran Mamdani's mayoral victory in New York City last year.
From council ally to challenger
Raman was born in India and worked as an urban planner before entering politics. Once an ally of Bass, she initially endorsed the mayor's re-election campaign but reversed course, entering the mayoral race in February just hours before the filing deadline.
In her victory speech, she promised to restore what she described as an ambitious, creative and entrepreneurial Los Angeles. "For too long our broken and unjust status quo has convinced Angelenos that this is the best that we can do," she told the crowd.
She pledged to expand affordable housing, improve neglected city services and take a different approach to homelessness by deploying more medical teams to help people who are unhoused. She also called for replacing the city's police chief over concerns about cooperation with federal immigration authorities. She now faces the task of delivering on those promises in a city of more than 3.8 million people, which is also preparing to host the 2028 Olympic Games starting in July of that year.
Bass concedes after difficult term
With Thursday's results, Bass becomes the first Los Angeles mayor in nearly two decades to lose a re-election bid. Her four years in office brought mounting criticism over the city's homelessness crisis and her administration's response to the deadly Palisades Fire, which broke out while she was overseas.
Bass congratulated Raman and said she was committed to ensuring a smooth transition. "Four years ago, you elected me as the first Black woman mayor in the history of Los Angeles," she wrote. "You gave me the honor of serving the city that raised me, and every single day since, I have carried that responsibility with me." She added: "Moving this city forward is what Los Angeles needs from all of us."
Source: Al Jazeera.
Questions and answers
- Who is Nithya Raman?
- She is a 45-year-old Los Angeles City Council member, born in India and a former urban planner. Backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, she won the mayoral race with 52 percent of the vote.
- Who did Nithya Raman defeat in the Los Angeles mayoral race?
- She defeated incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, who had support from Gavin Newsom, Kamala Harris and Nancy Pelosi. Bass becomes the first Los Angeles mayor in nearly two decades to lose a re-election bid.
- What has Raman promised to do as mayor?
- She pledged to expand affordable housing, improve neglected city services and deploy more medical teams to help unhoused people. She also called for replacing the city's police chief over concerns about cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
