Nithya Raman defeats Karen Bass to become Los Angeles mayor
The Los Angeles councilmember won after a contentious campaign focused on the city’s problems, including housing affordability and homelessness.
Nithya Raman defeated incumbent Karen Bass in Los Angeles’s mayoral race, bbc.com reported on 5 November 2026. Bass conceded that day, the BBC said, making Raman the city’s next mayor after a campaign shaped by concerns including homelessness and housing affordability.
Reported returns put Raman ahead
The Guardian reported that the Associated Press called the race for Raman on Thursday, when returns showed her with just over 52% of the vote and Bass with 48%. Those figures reflect returns at that point in the count. CBS News also projected Raman as the winner. Bass said she had called Raman to congratulate her and committed to a smooth transition, CBS reported.
Raman said in a Thursday video statement that she was honored to be the city’s next mayor, CBS reported. Bass, who had served more than two decades in public office, including as a congresswoman, said the race would be her last campaign for office, the network reported.
How the Los Angeles campaign shifted
Raman had served on the City Council since 2020. She entered the mayoral race shortly before the filing deadline, after previously endorsing Bass for re-election, The Guardian reported. CBS said Raman had called her campaign a “long shot” during the primary. Her campaign gained support over the summer, including backing from the Los Angeles chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, according to The Guardian.
The candidates clashed over their handling of city problems, and Bass’s campaign narrowed Raman’s lead as fall progressed, The Guardian reported. A survey released shortly before the election by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies and the Los Angeles Times showed them tied at 40% among likely voters, CBS reported. That measure captured voter support before Election Day, while the later returns favored Raman.
Homelessness, rising costs and housing affordability were among the significant challenges facing Los Angeles during the campaign, The Guardian reported. The result also ends a rare run of incumbent success in the mayor’s office: CBS said the last challenger to defeat a sitting Los Angeles mayor was Antonio Villaraigosa, who beat James Hahn in 2005. Bass’s transition commitment sets the immediate next step for the incoming administration.
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Sources and context
- Nithya Raman wins Los Angeles mayor over incumbent Karen BassBBC News
- Democratic socialist Nithya Raman wins Los Angeles mayoral race over incumbent Karen BassThe Guardian
- Nithya Raman ousts incumbent Karen Bass in Los Angeles mayor's race, CBS News projectsCBS News
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