Karen Bass and Nithya Raman Clash in Los Angeles Mayoral Runoff
Mayor Karen Bass and City Councilmember Nithya Raman are competing in a runoff election focused on public safety, homelessness, and city services.
Incumbent Mayor Karen Bass and City Councilmember Nithya Raman are competing in a runoff election for the mayor's office of Los Angeles, marking the first time two women of color have faced off for the position. The race follows the elimination of Republican candidate Spencer Pratt, though both Democratic candidates spent the primary vying for his law-and-order supporters.
Bass is campaigning on her experience and continuity, positioning herself as a protector of the city. Her advertising highlights her record on affordable housing and her confrontations with federal immigration agents at MacArthur Park to frame herself as a fighter against the policies of President Donald Trump. She has also emphasized her record on crime and supported a crackdown on drug dealing in Skid Row, earning the endorsement of the police union.
Raman, backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, is running as an anti-establishment alternative. She has vowed to replace Police Chief Jim McDonnell, citing failures in public safety management. Her campaign focuses on basic city services, such as streetlights and potholes, and points to a 49% decline in unsheltered homelessness within her council district as evidence that the city needs a new direction.
Tensions between the candidates escalated after Raman's campaign released a video referring to Bass as a "fascist liar." Bass condemned the move as "dangerous and extreme rhetoric," asserting that such language has no place in the city.
