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US Politics

Democratic socialist Nithya Raman defeats Mayor Karen Bass in Los Angeles race

Bass conceded, and Raman, a council member backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, will be the city's first South Asian mayor.

Nithya Raman in 2022
Nithya Raman in 2022. Photo: Nithya Raman, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
10 news outlets reported this
Liberal4 outletsA progressive, DSA-backed milestone and what she promisesCenter2 outletsA long-shot democratic socialist topples a heavyweight incumbentConservative4 outletsA democratic socialist's win and both candidates' records
Published 4 min read
Overview

Los Angeles City Council member Nithya Raman won the mayoral election held Tuesday, Nov. 3, defeating Mayor Karen Bass. The Associated Press called the race for Raman on Thursday. As of Thursday afternoon, county figures showed Raman with 429,450 votes, or 52.1%, and Bass with 394,796, or 47.9%.

Bass conceded, congratulated Raman and said she would ensure a smooth transition. Raman, 45, is backed by the Democratic Socialists of America and will be the city's first South Asian mayor. She had once endorsed Bass but entered the race in February, hours before the filing deadline.

Al Jazeera reports that Bass is the first Los Angeles mayor to lose a re-election bid in over two decades. Bass faced criticism over homelessness and over being abroad when the deadly Palisades Fire began. Al Jazeera also reports that Raman pledged to expand affordable housing and called for replacing the police chief, citing worries about the department working with federal immigration officials.

The Center Square reports she will be sworn in during December. Washington, D.C., voters also elected a democratic socialist, Janeese Lewis George, as mayor on Tuesday.

Key figures
  • 429,450 votes or 52.1% Raman's total as of Thursday afternoon, per the county registrar — The Center Square
  • 394,796 or 47.9% Bass's total as of Thursday afternoon, per the county registrar — The Center Square
  • 105 DSA-linked candidacies or referendums it says it is on track to count as midterm victories — Al Jazeera English

Three sides of the story

Liberal4 outlets

A progressive, DSA-backed milestone and what she promises

Al Jazeera English leads with the milestone: Raman, a progressive council member, defeated incumbent Bass and is on track to be the first South Asian to lead Los Angeles. It places the result within a rise of the Democratic Socialists of America, which says it is on track to count 105 victories in the , and links it to Zohran Mamdani's New York win. It quotes Raman on a "broken and unjust status quo" and Bass's statement promising a smooth transition.

La Opinión runs a profile asking who the next mayor is. It traces her path from Kerala, India, to Harvard and the city council, names housing affordability and tenants' rights as her priorities, and says she is expected to remove Police Chief Jim McDonnell. It also reports, citing the Los Angeles Times, that a national DSA political committee voted 14-13 against withdrawing the local endorsement.

NBC News titles its report "Nithya Raman wins Los Angeles mayoral race, NBC News projects," and The New York Times lists her win among major cities with democratic socialist mayors.

Center2 outlets

A long-shot democratic socialist topples a heavyweight incumbent

BBC News leads with the upset: a democratic socialist "toppled" incumbent Bass, a political heavyweight who had never lost a race. It says Raman's win "stunned political watchers in California" after she entered as a long-shot, and notes the comparisons to New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, with America's two biggest cities set to be led by democratic socialists. It calls the Los Angeles fires the major issue of the race, citing the fallout Bass faced over her absence, and lists Raman's platform: cutting homelessness, more housing, saving Hollywood jobs and protecting residents from immigration enforcement.

BBC includes Bass's concession post and President Trump's answer when asked about left-flank wins: "If you go by history, it's going to be a disaster." The Journal's news report is headlined "Democratic Socialist Nithya Raman Wins Los Angeles Mayor's Race" and ties the victory to voters sending DSA-backed candidates to the city halls of several US cities.

Conservative4 outlets

A democratic socialist's win and both candidates' records

The New York Post profiles "the socialist to be LA's next mayor," covering her Harvard and MIT degrees, her husband, a television writer, her years at Time's Up Entertainment and her 2020 council win. It says she tapped into voters' frustrations over Bass's tenure. The Center Square reports the county registrar's count, 52.1% to 47.9%, and the concession, and says Los Angeles joins Seattle, New York and Washington, D.C. as cities electing democratic socialist mayors.

It quotes Republican Spencer Pratt, "Karen lost," notes he did not endorse Raman, and recounts criticism of Raman over homeless encampments near schools and her remark on police under Chief Daryl Gates, for which she later apologized. The Epoch Times reports unofficial results with Raman above 52 percent and Bass at 47 percent. Just the News calls Raman the second democratic socialist elected "this week" as mayor of a major US city, after Janeese Lewis George in Washington on Tuesday, and says Bass's bid was "marred" by her handling of the 2025 Palisades fires.

All sources: 12 articles from 10 outlets

Liberal (5)

Center (3)

Conservative (4)

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