# Democratic socialist Nithya Raman defeats Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass in upset

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/democratic-socialist-nithya-raman-defeats-los-angeles-mayor-karen-bass-in-upset/
- Published: 2026-11-06T17:19:57+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-06T19:08:22+00:00
- Original publisher: PBS NewsHour (publisher lean: Centre)
- Original article: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/democratic-socialist-nithya-raman-defeats-los-angeles-mayor-karen-bass-in-upset
- Topics: Asia, Elections, Politics, World

## Key points

- Nithya Raman defeated Karen Bass in Los Angeles’s mayoral election.
- The upset marks a shift towards Democratic Socialist leadership.
- Bass’s handling of the Palisades Fire weighed on her re-election bid.

## Summary

Nithya Raman, a Democratic Socialist and Los Angeles City Council member, defeated incumbent Mayor Karen Bass in an upset election. Her victory signals a shift in the city’s leadership and adds to a series of wins by Democratic Socialist mayoral candidates in major US cities.

Raman entered the race shortly before the filing deadline, after previously endorsing Bass, and argued that Los Angeles had reached a “breaking point”. She has pledged to expand affordable housing, improve public transport and basic services, and replace the police chief over his approach to federal immigration authorities. Bass, whose re-election bid was damaged by criticism of the city’s response to the deadly Palisades Fire, said she would ensure a smooth transition; she is the first Los Angeles mayor in two decades to lose a re-election bid.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.