Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Sep 3
DSA Los Angeles Endorses Nithya Raman for Mayor With Over 60% Support
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Sep 3

DSA Los Angeles Endorses Nithya Raman for Mayor With Over 60% Support

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Sep 3

Summary

  • More than 60% of voting members backed Nithya Raman on Wednesday, giving the Los Angeles DSA chapter’s endorsement to the City Council member challenging Mayor Karen Bass.
  • The vote followed weeks of internal dispute over whether Raman had distanced herself from the group and broken with it on key issues despite being a DSA member.
  • Sean Wakasa, the chapter’s co-chair, said the endorsement unlocks thousands of members for organizing and door-knocking, while Raman cast it as part of a broader coalition.
  • Raman became the first DSA member elected to the Los Angeles City Council in 2020, and the endorsement now tests how far democratic socialist backing can help against Bass, a more mainstream Democrat, in a city where moderates, homeowners and labor groups still hold sway.

Insights

Will a major grassroots endorsement be enough to overcome a massive fundraising gap in the battle for Los Angeles?