Nithya Raman defeats Karen Bass to become mayor of Los Angeles

Democratic socialist Nithya Raman has won the Los Angeles mayoral election, defeating incumbent Karen Bass in a closely contested race for the helm of the country's second-largest city.

Raman's victory adds Los Angeles to a growing list of major American metropolises led by democratic socialists, following similar leadership outcomes in New York City and Washington, D.C. An urban planner by training, Raman first emerged on the political scene in 2020 when she ousted a long-term incumbent from the Los Angeles City Council, becoming the first candidate backed by the Democratic Socialists of America to win office in the city.

Throughout her political rise, Raman has maintained an unconventional relationship with both the local political establishment and the socialist movement itself. During the mayoral contest, she lacked endorsements from her City Council colleagues, including three fellow council members aligned with the democratic socialist wing, all of whom endorsed Bass. Bass highlighted those strained relationships in debates, accusing Raman of being difficult for peers to work with.

Raman's relationship with the local chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America was similarly complex. The group declined to back her in the primary after she launched a late bid against Bass, having previously endorsed the incumbent. While the chapter eventually endorsed Raman for the runoff against Bass, tensions lingered. The national DSA nearly revoked the endorsement following internal divisions regarding her stance on Israel and Palestine, with a committee narrowly voting 14 to 13 to retain the backing.

Raman has described her connection to the DSA as rooted in pragmatic policy rather than strict ideology, noting she originally joined because of its focus on housing affordability. She has also openly diverged from the group on certain topics, including calling for reforms to the city's mansion tax and expressing support for a regulated market economy based on Nordic social democracy.

Central to Raman's campaign was an aggressive approach to Los Angeles' housing and homelessness crises. Her platform aims to triple annual housing construction, embracing a mix of subsidized affordable housing, market-rate units, social housing, and emergency shelters. Her platform secured the support of pro-housing group Yimby Action. Prior to holding public office, she co-founded the SELAH Neighborhood Homeless Coalition in 2017 to provide community-level outreach and support to unhoused individuals across northeast Los Angeles.

Raman also drew support from progressive segments of the entertainment industry. A former entertainment director for the Time's Up initiative, she received backing from the Hollywood writers' guild as well as high-profile performers including Mindy Kaling and Adam Scott, along with hospitality union Unite Here Local 11. Her campaign was also marked by a notable meeting with former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Despite pushback from sitting officials, Raman successfully leveraged her position as a reform-minded outsider to win over voters, cementing a major shift in city hall leadership.