Backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, Raman pledges action on homelessness and affordable housing in America’s second-largest city.
Published On 5 Nov 2026
Nithya Raman, a progressive Los Angeles City Council member, has defeated incumbent Mayor Karen Bass and is on track to become the first South Asian leader of the United States’ second-largest city.
The Associated Press called the race for Raman on Thursday, with Raman holding 52 percent of the vote.
Raman, 45, prevailed over Bass despite the incumbent’s support from prominent Democrats, including California Governor Gavin Newsom, former Vice President Kamala Harris, and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Her campaign was backed by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), with her victory arriving amid a surge in visibility and electoral wins for the left-wing political movement.
A record number of candidates backed by or affiliated with the DSA won federal offices in Tuesday’s midterm elections. The organization says it contributed to at least 300 candidacies or ballot referendums during the midterms and is on track to count 105 of those as victories.
Those wins include congressional races, with figures such as Darializa Avila Chevalier, Claire Valdez, Melat Kiros, and Chris Rabb winning their first terms as U.S. representatives.
Raman’s victory in Los Angeles follows another high-profile democratic socialist mayoral win in New York City last year: Zohran Mamdani.
Born in India, Raman worked as an urban planner before running for office. Once an ally of Bass, she initially endorsed the incumbent’s re-election campaign before reversing course and entering the mayoral race in February, just hours before the filing deadline.
In her victory speech, Raman promised to restore what she called an ambitious, creative, and entrepreneurial Los Angeles.
“For too long, our broken and unjust status quo has convinced Angelenos that this is the best that we can do,” she said to the crowd.
Raman also pledged to expand affordable housing, improve neglected city services, and take a different approach to homelessness by deploying more medical teams to assist people who are unhoused.
In addition, she called for replacing the city’s police chief over concerns about cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
Raman now faces the task of delivering on those promises in a city of more than 3.8 million people.
Los Angeles also faces the hurdle of hosting the 2028 Olympic Games, starting in July of that year.
With Thursday’s election results, Bass has become the first Los Angeles mayor in nearly two decades to lose a re-election bid.
Her defeat follows a difficult four years in office. Her administration faced mounting criticism over the city’s homelessness crisis and its response to the deadly Palisades Fire, which broke out while she was overseas and devastated communities across the Los Angeles area.
In a statement on Thursday, Bass congratulated Raman and said she was committed to ensuring a smooth transition.
“Four years ago, you elected me as the first Black woman mayor in the history of Los Angeles. You gave me the honor of serving the city that raised me, and every single day since, I have carried that responsibility with me,” Bass wrote.
“Moving this city forward is what Los Angeles needs from all of us.”
