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Nithya Raman has defeated incumbent Karen Bass in the Los Angeles mayoral election, winning 52% of the vote to Bass's 48%. Bass conceded Thursday, and Raman will become the city's first South Asian mayor.
Nithya Raman, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America and a Los Angeles City Councilmember, has defeated incumbent Mayor Karen Bass in the race for Los Angeles mayor. Bass conceded the race Thursday morning. At the time, she had 48% of the vote compared with Raman's 52%, according to the latest vote count.
Raman becomes the first South Asian mayor of Los Angeles and ousts an incumbent for the first time in nearly a quarter century. In a video statement, Raman said she was "deeply honored" to be L.A.'s next mayor.
"And that work starts now, so that we can build housing that people can afford, parks for our 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," she said in the statement.
Bass said in her concession statement: "While this is not the outcome we hoped for, the people of Los Angeles have spoken." She added that she had called Councilmember Nithya Raman to congratulate her and committed to ensuring a smooth and seamless transition.
An ABC7 analysis of precinct-level election results shows a sharp geographic divide in the race. The interactive map, based on precinct-level results representing 67% of the expected vote, illustrates an east-west voting divide across Los Angeles. Precincts shaded yellow indicate stronger support for Raman, while purple precincts indicate stronger support for Karen Bass.
Raman's strongest support came from East Los Angeles and parts of the San Fernando Valley. In one precinct in Boyle Heights, she won more than two-thirds of the vote. In one Studio City precinct, Bass received nearly 70% of the vote. In an Encino precinct, Bass also garnered nearly 70% support. In the Palisades, Bass received more than 70% of the vote.
Raman, who is 45, enjoyed overwhelming support from voters ages 30 to 39, according to a UC Berkeley/L.A. Times poll taken days before the election. Bass is 73 and drew much of her support from older voters.
Raman campaigned on housing affordability, homelessness and police reform, including removing Police Chief Jim McDonnell. She also vowed to improve basic city services like pothole and streetlight repair. Her campaign involved more than 11,000 volunteers knocking on more than 110,000 doors.
Outside independent expenditures topped $16 million for Bass and against Raman, compared with $13 million for Raman and against Bass. Hedge fund manager Aaron Sosnick poured more than $8.5 million into ads supporting Raman and bashing Bass.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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