Nithya Raman Wins Los Angeles Mayoral Race
Councilmember Nithya Raman defeats incumbent Karen Bass to become the city's first South Asian mayor.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Elections
Live Poll
Do you think Los Angeles is headed in the right direction?
Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman defeated incumbent Mayor Karen Bass in the mayoral election. Raman is the city's first South Asian mayor and ran a campaign backed by Senator Bernie Sanders focused on a democratic socialist approach.
Why it matters
The result removes a sitting Los Angeles mayor from office at the ballot box, a rare outcome in recent city history. It also places a democratic socialist-aligned leader at the head of the city government.
Raman defeated Bass in the November 6, 2026 election, ending an incumbency that the extraction indicates was last unseated in 2005. The extraction does not include vote tallies or the margin of victory.
The players
Nithya Raman
Raman is a Los Angeles city councilmember, born in Trivandrum, Kerala, India, in 1981, and a Harvard graduate who previously served as entertainment director for the Time's Up organization.
Karen Bass
Bass is the incumbent mayor of Los Angeles who was defeated in the 2026 election after seeking reelection.
Bernie Sanders
Sanders is a U.S. senator from Vermont and a prominent national advocate for democratic socialism whose backing supported Raman's campaign.
The details
Raman ran a campaign backed by Senator Bernie Sanders centered on a democratic socialist platform. Raman, a Los Angeles city councilmember, was born in Trivandrum, Kerala, India, in 1981 and graduated from Harvard University.
Timeline
November 6, 2026: Raman defeats Karen Bass in the Los Angeles mayoral election.
2005: The last year an incumbent Los Angeles mayor lost reelection.
Legal Context
Los Angeles has not seen an incumbent mayor lose reelection since 2005, when the last such defeat occurred. Raman's victory over Bass returns the city to that rare outcome.
Residents of Los Angeles will see a new mayor take office following the election. The extraction does not specify policy changes or effective dates for the new administration.
The takeaway
Local elections can shift city leadership quickly, even against an incumbent. Readers following Los Angeles policy should watch the new administration's first decisions as they take office.
Further reading
For broader context on how voters are choosing city leaders, explore Elections coverage.
Live Poll
Do you think Los Angeles is headed in the right direction?
