Los Angeles Mayoral Race: Karen Bass Faces Nithya Raman in Runoff

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is set to face off against City Council member Nithya Raman in a runoff election in November. NBC News projects this one-on-one matchup between two Democrats. Bass and Raman emerged from a competitive primary field, which also included former reality TV star Spencer Pratt, a Republican who ran a campaign heavily criticizing Bass for her handling of last year’s wildfires.

No candidate secured over 50% of the vote in the primary, leading the top two finishers to advance to the runoff. Although Pratt initially appeared in second place on election night, subsequent vote counts favored Democratic candidates, allowing Raman to overtake Pratt. This trend was observed throughout California, with late-counted votes leaning more Democratic following increased party turnout.

Nithya Raman; Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. AFP via Getty Images; Getty Images

Bass, previously a member of Congress, was first elected mayor in 2022 after defeating real estate developer Rick Caruso in an expensive race. She faced criticism during last year’s wildfires for being out of the country as the fires broke out. The wildfires destroyed over 16,000 structures, straining water resources and hindering firefighting efforts. A Los Angeles Times poll in March showed 56% of respondents held unfavorable views of Bass.

Amid this backdrop, Raman launched her mayoral bid despite having close political ties with Bass. Raman had previously endorsed Bass for re-election before deciding to run herself. Bass supported Raman during her contested City Council re-election campaign in 2024.

During her campaign launch, Raman stated, “My team and I have tried so hard to intervene aggressively on the most urgent issues that this city is facing, our housing and homelessness crisis, building a better safety response, getting our basic services to work for people. But over and over again, in the building, in City Hall, I found myself running into a wall of reluctance, a reluctance to move forward with the transformative policy change that this city needs right now.”

In contrast, Bass argued during the campaign that Raman had not effectively used her council position to advance necessary changes. “The problem,” Bass said during a debate with Raman, “is that for you to act like you’re brand new or you’ve been on the outside for the last almost six years is not accurate.”

Bass acknowledged public frustration with issues like the wildfires and homelessness while highlighting her administration’s progress. In a recent election night speech, Bass expressed confidence in winning re-election: “I appreciate you for believing in me. I appreciate you for standing with me when others doubted me, because you know who I am. I have devoted my entire life to serving the city that I love, where I was born, and I’m going to continue to do that all the way to victory in November.”

Bass’ position with voters invited challenges from both political spectrums. Pratt, former star of MTV’s “The Hills,” drew national attention with his candidacy. He blamed Bass for last year’s wildfire destruction and pledged to resolve the city’s homelessness issue if elected.

Although former President Donald Trump did not formally endorse Pratt, he commented, “I’d like to see him do well. He’s a character.”

The runoff between Bass and Raman presents a different race dynamic than a contest against Pratt would have. A Los Angeles Times poll tested potential one-on-one matchups and revealed Bass and Raman as strong candidates against Pratt. However, in the Bass vs. Raman scenario, Raman held a slight edge with 32% support to Bass’ 28%, within the margin of error. Additionally, 40% of respondents were uncertain or wouldn’t vote, indicating a volatile campaign and voter indecision.