Nithya Raman ousts Karen Bass as Los Angeles voters turn against the Democratic establishment
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Progressive councilmember Nithya Raman won 52% of the vote, defeating Mayor Karen Bass and becoming the city’s first South Asian mayor after a campaign backed by the left.
Progressive Los Angeles City Council member Nithya Raman defeated incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, securing about 52 percent of the vote and positioning herself to become the first South Asian mayor of the United States’ second-largest city. Raman, 45, overcame Bass despite the latter’s backing from prominent Democrats including Governor Gavin Newsom, former Vice President Kamala Harris and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Raman’s campaign received support from the Democratic Socialists of America, underscoring how far left-wing activists have pushed themselves into the center of recent elections. In her victory speech, she pledged to restore what she described as an "ambitious, creative and entrepreneurial" Los Angeles, expand affordable housing, improve city services and adopt a new approach to homelessness by deploying additional medical teams. She also called for replacing the city’s police chief over concerns about cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
The win makes Bass the first Los Angeles mayor in more than two decades to lose a re-election bid, a clear rebuke from voters unhappy with the city’s direction. Bass, who served as the city’s first Black woman mayor, congratulated Raman and said she would work toward a smooth transition. Los Angeles, home to more than 3.8 million residents, also prepares for the 2028 Olympic Games scheduled to open in July.