Raman defeats incumbent Bass in L.A. mayoral race

OAN Staff Lillian Mann
12:40PM – Thursday, November 5, 2026

Nithya Raman has defeated incumbent Karen Bass to become the next mayor of the City of Angels.

With 76% of the total votes counted, the Associated Press called the race for Raman on Thursday, with her leading 52% to Bass's 47%.

After remaining deadlocked since Tuesday's election, Bass reportedly called Raman on Thursday to concede. In a statement on social media, Bass thanked the city of Los Angeles and called it the "honor of a lifetime" to serve as mayor.

Thank you, Los Angeles. Serving as your mayor has been the honor of my life. pic.twitter.com/ObC2zrVao9

— Karen Bass (@KarenBassLA) November 5, 2026

Raman, a Democratic socialist, was endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) Los Angeles and has repeatedly said she is ran to fix a "broken city" under Bass.

Prior to joining the Los Angeles City Council in 2020, Raman co-chaired the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council Homelessness Committee and co-founded a homeless advocacy organization. In 2025, she authored a key motion to cap annual rent increases for tenants in pre-1978 rent-stabilized apartments.

Building on her background as an urban planner and homeless advocacy leader, Raman launched a progressive mayoral campaign for Los Angeles that centered on housing reform, tenant protections and local government accountability. She highlighted her record as a city councilmember, pointing to legislative achievements like capping annual rent increases and significantly reducing homelessness within her district.

Bass has served as the 43^rd mayor of Los Angeles since 2022. During her tenure, she faced significant criticism over how she responded to the January 2025 Palisades Fire that killed 12 people and destroyed approximately 6,837 structures. The Eaton Fire, which occurred at the same time, killed 19 people and damaged or destroyed over 10,000 structures.

According to her website, Bass was born and raised in the Venice/Fairfax area and was the first woman and second African American to be elected as the city's chief executive. She began her professional career as a nurse and physician's assistant before she entered into politics. 

The closely watched mayoral election for control of the nation's second-most populous city appears to be following New York City's lead, where Democratic Socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D-N.Y.) was elected last year.

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