Nithya Raman wins Los Angeles mayoral election

Nithya Raman has won the mayoral election in Los Angeles, defeating the incumbent Democrat Karen Bass. The results followed a close count that concluded after Bass conceded the race to the challenger, according to reports from taz and Tagesschau. This victory follows similar shifts in other major US cities, including Washington, D.C., and New York.

A platform of housing and social rights

Raman, a 45-year-old who has served as a city council member for six years, campaigned heavily on the city's most pressing crises. According to ABC political chief Averi Harper, Raman challenged Bass from the left by focusing on high living costs and homelessness.

Raman’s policy goals include a significant expansion of housing options. She intends to triple the construction of new housing units, spanning the open market, rent-controlled segments, and social housing. To address the homelessness crisis, she plans to build new shelters. Her background in this area includes founding a volunteer group in 2017 that worked alongside unhoused neighbours to advocate for their rights, taz reports.

Beyond housing, Raman aims to expand public transport and revitalise the local film industry. Her experience in the entertainment sector includes leading the entertainment division of Time’s Up, an organisation that provided legal support for women facing sexual harassment.

Grassroots organising and political identity

Raman’s political rise is rooted in local organising. She joined the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) in 2019, stating she did so because it was one of the few organisations seriously addressing the Los Angeles housing crisis. In 2020, she successfully ran for the city council through what was described as an impressive grassroots campaign.

While she has received support from figures like Bernie Sanders and the DSA, Raman has maintained a degree of political independence. In interviews, she has described herself as an independent voice within the city council, noting that she does not let herself be guided by a specific ideology.

Challenges from the establishment

The election was marked by significant friction between the challenger and the incumbent. Tagesschau reports that Bass, who was elected as the first woman to hold the office in 2022, attempted to portray Raman as unstable, inexperienced, and indecisive during the campaign.

Bass had faced criticism regarding her handling of devastating fires in Los Angeles in January 2025 and the slow reconstruction of destroyed streets. Raman, conversely, framed her campaign as a fight against the sense of hopelessness regarding the city's administration. She argued that the city government had long made it appear as though solving Los Angeles' problems was impossible.

In our assessment, Raman’s victory suggests that progressive and socialist-aligned platforms are gaining traction in major American urban centres. By focusing on the material realities of urban life—housing, transport, and social protections—she has demonstrated a model of municipal politics that prioritises grassroots concerns over establishment stability.

This piece was generated automatically by an AI model from the sources listed below. It has not been reviewed by a human editor.

Sources

• Nithya Raman wird Bürgermeisterin: Eine Sozialistin für Los Angeles — taz
• Los Angeles bekommt linke Bürgermeisterin — Tagesschau