Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass will face LA Councilmember Nithya Raman in November after Raman secured second place in last week’s primary election, setting up a high-profile contest between two Democrats with differing visions for the city.
Raman advances to general election, setting up showdown with Bass
LA City Councilmember Nithya Raman secured second place in the primary election, defeating former reality TV star Spencer Pratt and advancing to a November matchup against Bass. Bass, Pratt and Raman were expected to be the top finishers in the race, which was dominated by issues of homelessness in the city, challenges facing the entertainment industry and criticism over how Bass handled the 2025 wildfires that destroyed thousands of homes, including Pratt’s.
Bass finished first with 34.7% of the vote, followed by Raman with 27.1%. Pratt finished third with 26.7%. Raman’s second-place finish secured her spot in the general election against Bass, setting up a contest between two Democrats with differing visions for Los Angeles.
First South Asian LA councilmember draws upon education, heritage and Hollywood
The surge for Raman is drawing attention to the councilwoman, who is the first Asian American woman and the first South Asian person to serve on the Los Angeles City Council. The 44-year-old Raman was born in the Indian state of Kerala, moving with her family to Louisiana when she was 6 years old.
Raman graduated from Harvard University and earned a master’s degree in urban planning from MIT. She was first elected to the Los Angeles City Council in 2020, unseating an incumbent council member for the first time in 17 years. Raman is married to Hollywood producer Vali Chandrasekaran, whose credits include shows such as 30 Rock and Modern Family, and the couple has young twins.
Raman has drawn upon her urban planning background, working-mom status and Hollywood connections in her political career and current mayoral campaign. Raman has focused on issues of homelessness, drawing upon her education as well as her work in slums in India, and has been a strong proponent of building more housing in Los Angeles.
In a race that has been heavily influenced by both Washington, D.C., politicians and Hollywood entertainment industry figures, Raman has drawn support from prominent individuals, including former Obama speechwriter Jon Favreau and actor Mindy Kaling, among others.
Raman goes from Bass ally to progressive opponent
Bass and Raman have been political allies, but Raman has positioned herself as a progressive alternative to the more centrist Bass, and the two politicians have become more adversarial as they prepare for a November showdown.
Raman has drawn comparisons to Democratic Socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani; the Los Angeles branch of the Democratic Socialists of America has supported her candidacy but stopped short of officially endorsing her. Raman has credited herself as the initiator of anti-homelessness policies that Bass implemented for the city as a whole.
A spokesperson for Bass, meanwhile, criticized Raman on behalf of the mayor’s campaign.
“We look forward to winning a contest against an opponent who allows encampments near schools and fights against hiring more cops, yet is M.I.A. on saving Hollywood jobs and fighting back when ICE invades L.A.”
The comment from the Bass campaign demonstrates some potential liabilities for Raman as she prepares for a general election showdown against the LA mayor. The attack against Raman, however, also illustrates the political momentum she has built as she challenges Bass for leadership of the left-leaning city in an all-Democratic race for mayor.