In brief
Nithya Raman, a 45‑year‑old council member born in India, won the Los Angeles mayoral election with 52% of the vote, becoming the city’s first South Asian mayor. Backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, Raman pledged to address homelessness, affordable housing, and policing as Los Angeles gears up for the 2028 Olympic Games. The victory follows a surge of left‑wing successes in the 2026 mid‑term elections and sees the incumbent, Karen Bass, become the first mayor to lose a reelection bid in over two decades.
Nithya Raman, a 45‑year‑old councilwoman from Los Angeles who was born in India and worked as an urban planner, defeated incumbent Mayor Karen Bass to become the city’s first South Asian mayor. In a race called by the Associated Press on Thursday, Raman won 52 percent of the vote, while Bass received 48 percent.
Raman ran as a progressive candidate and received support from the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). The DSA, which claimed credit for at least 300 candidacies or ballot referendums during the 2026 mid‑term elections and said it was on track to count 105 of those as victories, played a key role in her campaign. Her win follows a surge of left‑wing successes in that election cycle, including high‑profile victories in congressional races by candidates such as Darializa Avila Chevalier, Claire Valdez, Melat Kiros, and Chris Rabb.
Although Bass had the backing of prominent Democrats—including California Governor Gavin Newsom, former Vice President Kamala Harris and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi—she was unable to withstand the challenge posed by Raman, who had been an ally of Bass before announcing her run in February, just hours before the filing deadline.
In her victory speech, Raman pledged to "restore what she called an ambitious, creative and entrepreneurial Los Angeles." She emphasized that for too long the city’s broken and unjust status quo had convinced Angelenos that it was the best they could do. She called for expanding affordable housing, improving neglected city services and adopting a different approach to homelessness by deploying more medical teams to assist people who are unhoused.
"For too long our broken and unjust status quo has convinced Angelenos that this is the best that we can do," said Raman during her campaign announcement.
She also announced that she would replace the city’s police chief over concerns about cooperation with federal immigration authorities, a move that will affect accountability and public safety across the city’s more than 3.8 million residents. Raman’s promises come at a time when Los Angeles is preparing to host the 2028 Olympic Games, which open in July of that year, adding another layer of scrutiny to city governance and infrastructure planning.
The election result marks the first time the city of Los Angeles has elected a mayor in more than two decades to lose a re‑election bid. The outcome is seen by some as a signal of shifting civic attitudes toward progressive policies in urban governance, particularly in a city that is a national cultural and economic hub. Raman will now face the task of translating her campaign pledges into policy and administration, while addressing the immediate issues of homelessness, public safety, and large‑scale event planning that will shape the city’s trajectory through 2028 and beyond.
