(The Center Square) – Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman, who was endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America, has been elected mayor of Los Angeles.
Current Mayor Karen Bass conceded Thursday, congratulating Raman on the “victory" in Tuesday's election.
With Raman's win in the close race, Los Angeles joins Seattle, New York and Washington, D.C., as cities electing mayors who identify as democratic socialists.
As of Thursday afternoon, Raman had 429,450 votes or 52.1%. Bass had 394,796 or 47.9%. The figures come from the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk's Office.
In a video posted on X, Raman said that she is “deeply honored” to be the next mayor.
“Thank you to the thousands of people who knocked on doors, sent texts, made phone calls, convinced their neighbors to believe in the promise of this big, beautiful, joyful city that we get to call home,” said Raman, seen standing on a hill overlooking Los Angeles. “To every voter out there who voted for Mayor Bass or who chose not to vote in this election at all, please know this, I am going to City Hall to work every single day to earn your trust and to earn your trust in this city again.”
While Raman will not be sworn into office until December, the mayor-elect noted work starts now so Los Angeles can “build housing that people can afford, parks for children to play in, a transit system that can get people where they need to go, a city that is safe for its working people and its families, and a city government that is actually capable of delivering on its promises” for Angelenos.
Bass said that while this is not the outcome her campaign hoped for, the people of Los Angeles have spoken.
“I have called Councilmember Nithya Raman to congratulate her on her victory, and I have committed to ensuring a smooth and seamless transition,” said Bass. “Moving this city forward is what Los Angeles needs from all of us.”
Raman, who is of Indian descent, will be the city's first South Asian mayor.
Bass, a Democrat who previously served as a congresswoman and the California Assembly speaker, was Los Angeles' first female mayor. She was also the city's first first Black female mayor.
“You gave me the honor of serving the city that raised me, and every single day since, I have carried that responsibility with me,” said Bass.
Raman and Bass did not agree on many issues. Bass said in a debate Raman was not prepared for the job. Raman accused Bass for mismanagement and criticized her for being out of the country during the 2025 fires.
With the election over, Raman “wanted to pay tribute to Mayor Karen Bass,” adding that she has “given decades of her life” to making Los Angeles what it is today.
“From her time as an emergency room nurse, to starting Community Coalition, to her leadership in Sacramento and in D.C., and then becoming the first woman mayor of Los Angeles, she has served Los Angeles for so many decades and I know so many people, not just across the city, but across this country are grateful for her dedication to the promise of Los Angeles,” said Raman.
Spencer Pratt, a mayoral candidate whom Raman leapfrogged in the days immediately following the June primary as mail-in ballots were counted, said in an X post that Nithya did not win.
“Karen lost,” said Pratt, a Republican. “You simply can’t destroy a city as much as she did. She played with fire, and she got fired.”
Bass was heavily criticized for being in Ghana for a presidential inauguration when the devastating Palisades Fire broke out on Jan. 7, 2025 in Los Angeles.
Raman, meanwhile, has faced criticism for saying she didn't see a problem with homeless encampments being close to schools and for saying the Los Angeles Police Department set "the gold standard' for non-cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs officers under Police Chief Daryl Gates. Raman later apologized for her comments about the Gates' era, explaining she was referring only to the former police chief's order against cooperation with ICE. The 1978-1992 Gates era was controversial because of racial tension and the Rodney King beating, which set the stage for the 1992 Los Angeles riots.
In criticizing Bass, Pratt made it clear he wasn't endorsing Raman.
“Nithya won’t offer any reprieve,” said Pratt, who predicted Los Angeles would continue to decline under her administration.
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