Nithya Raman defeats Karen Bass to win Los Angeles mayoral race

Nithya Raman has won the Los Angeles mayoral election, defeating incumbent Karen Bass in an upset that surprised political observers in California. The democratic socialist began her campaign as a long-shot challenger to a former member of Congress who had never previously lost an election for public office.

Bass announced on social media on Thursday that she had called Raman to concede. Acknowledging the result, she wrote that “the people of Los Angeles have spoken.” She also urged a shared commitment to moving the city forward and said she would continue working to ensure its residents could pursue a better life.

An Indian immigrant and member of the city council, Raman campaigned on changing how Los Angeles is governed. Her priorities included reducing homelessness, expanding housing, preserving Hollywood jobs amid continuing cuts and protecting residents from immigration enforcement efforts. She also promised attention to roads, city beautification and efforts to revive nightlife.

The aftermath of the 2025 Los Angeles fires was the central issue of the contest. The fires killed dozens of people and destroyed neighbourhoods across the area. Bass faced considerable political criticism over both her absence during the emergency and the city's handling of the disaster. Raman's campaign challenged what she described as a broken status quo and politicians who had repeatedly failed residents.

Raman gradually built support, particularly among younger voters, after entering the contest with little expectation of victory. Earlier in the year, she defeated reality television star Spencer Pratt in the primary. Her eventual victory over Bass settled a race in which Los Angeles was widely expected to elect a Democrat, but the extent of voters' support for a move further left remained uncertain.

The result means the two largest cities in the United States will be led by democratic socialists. Raman has often drawn comparisons with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who also campaigned on a progressive platform. Washington DC likewise elected a democratic socialist, Janeese Lewis George, as its next mayor.

Raman's victory came amid broad Democratic gains, including in strongly Republican areas that had not elected liberal leaders for decades. Asked at the White House about victories by candidates from the Democratic Party's left wing, President Donald Trump said: “If you go by history, it's going to be a disaster”. Republicans have made such candidates a focus of their attacks.

Raman will take responsibility for a city preparing to host the Super Bowl in 2027 and the Summer Olympics in 2028. She succeeds Los Angeles' first black female mayor. Bass had longstanding community ties, including work as an organiser during the 1992 riots following police brutality in the beating of Rodney King.