Socialist city councillor Nithya Raman wins Los Angeles mayoral election

Summarised from 3 outlets · 6 reports · Updated 6 Nov, 04:56 · Archive

Democratic Socialist Nithya Raman has beaten incumbent Karen Bass to become Los Angeles' next mayor.

Nithya Raman has beaten incumbent Karen Bass to become Los Angeles' 44th mayor. The 45-year-old City Council member secured victory in the November 3 election, with final counts giving her 460,772 votes (52.70 per cent) compared with Bass's 413,519 votes (47.30 per cent), a lead of 47,253 votes. Bass conceded the race on Thursday. Raman is expected to take office in mid-December.

Raman was born in Kerala, India, in 1981 and moved to Louisiana when she was six years old before her family relocated to Massachusetts. She graduated from Harvard University in 2003 with a degree in social studies and earned a master's degree in urban planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2008. After working as an urban planner in India, she returned to the United States in 2013 and took a position with the Los Angeles city administrative office. She is married to television writer and producer Vail Chandrasekaran, whom she met at Harvard.

As a member of both the Democratic Socialist of America and the Democratic Party, Raman campaigned on fixing the homeless crisis and bringing in more affordable housing. However, at her first press conference as mayor-elect on Thursday, she sidestepped direct questions about whether she would follow through on her campaign pledge to replace LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell. She said she had already spoken to Chief McDonnell and that public safety was the city's most important service, but declined to commit to any specific changes.

Raman's victory marks the second major win for Democratic Socialists in a year, following the election of Zohran Mamdani in New York. Despite campaigning on shaking up City Hall, Raman is tapping veteran insiders to build her administration. Rick Cole, a former deputy mayor under Eric Garcetti who later served the current City Controller, is expected to play a leading role on her transition team. Cole, known as an aggressive government reformer, recently served as an unpaid adviser to Raman's campaign and has been critical of the Bass administration's handling of homelessness spending.

How it is being reported

• Democratic Socialist Nithya Raman wins LA mayoral raceNithya Raman's victory in LA marks the second major win for Democratic Socialists in a year.Al Jazeera · 6 Nov, 04:29
• A generational upset in Los AngelesNithya Raman, a DSA city council member, will lead America’s second-largest cityThe Economist · 6 Nov, 04:10
• Nithya Raman eyes City Hall shake-up as former LA Mayor Eric Garcetti veterans emerge in new administrationLos Angeles Mayor-elect Nithya Raman is tapping veteran City Hall insiders and former aides to an ex-mayor to help build her administration.New York Post · 6 Nov, 03:51
• Nithya Raman struggles to answer tough questions in first press conference as LA mayor-electLA Mayor-elect Nithya Raman declined to say if she will replace LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell during her first press conference since winning.New York Post · 6 Nov, 03:26
• Who is Nithya Raman, the socialist to be LA’s next mayor?Here’s what you need to know about mayor-elect Nithya Raman's background and her rise to power.New York Post · 6 Nov, 02:42
• Nithya Raman can succeed as mayor — but not with socialist policiesCongratulations to Nithya Raman, who achieved the rare feat of defeating an incumbent LA mayor.New York Post · 6 Nov, 01:50

In this story: Nithya Raman · Karen Bass · Los Angeles · Democratic Socialists of America · Jim McDonnell · Eric Garcetti · Rick Cole

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log