Karen Bass Trails in Los Angeles Mayor Race as Nithya Raman Mounts $2.5 Million Challenge
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Oct 5
Karen Bass Trails in Los Angeles Mayor Race as Nithya Raman Mounts $2.5 Million Challenge
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Oct 5
Summary
Several late-campaign polls show Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass trailing councilmember Nithya Raman with only weeks left before voters choose between two rival progressive visions for the city.
Raman turned the race after a surprise last-minute entry, tapping anti-incumbent anger over housing costs, homelessness and city management in a region where quality-of-life satisfaction has fallen to its lowest level in more than a decade.
About $2.5 million has been raised by each campaign, but Raman has added field strength from the nearly 6,000-member Los Angeles DSA chapter and Unite Here, giving her a volunteer-heavy ground game as ballots go out.
Bass is trying to rebuild support by stressing her progressive record and a 17.5% drop in street homelessness, yet she still faces fallout from the 2025 Palisades fire response, low approval ratings and frustration over nearly 44,000 unhoused residents.
The contest has become a test of whether Los Angeles Democrats stick with an embattled incumbent or join a broader anti-establishment wave that has lifted left-wing challengers in other U.S. cities.