# Nithya Raman leads Karen Bass in close Los Angeles mayoral race

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/democratic-socialist-nithya-raman-set-to-oust-l-a-mayor-karen-bass/
- Published: 2026-11-05T19:10:46+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-05T19:19:47+00:00
- Original publisher: Reason (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://reason.com/2026/11/05/democratic-socialist-nithya-raman-set-to-oust-l-a-mayor-karen-bass/
- Topics: Politics

## Key points

- Decision Desk HQ called the race for Raman, but the count is incomplete.
- She led Bass by 51.7 per cent to 48.3 per cent.
- Raman’s DSA ties are unsettled and the result remains unconfirmed.

## Summary

New coverage confirms that Decision Desk HQ has called the close Los Angeles mayoral race for challenger Nithya Raman, although the result remains unconfirmed as ballots are counted. If the lead holds, Raman will replace Karen Bass and Los Angeles will join New York and Washington, DC, under mayors associated with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).

With 72 per cent of votes counted, Raman led Bass by 51.7 per cent to 48.3 per cent, and the full count could take another week. Bass faced criticism over her absence during the January 2025 Pacific Palisades fire and the slow rebuilding effort; Raman campaigned against homelessness and stalled development. Raman’s relationship with the DSA is unsettled, and the article says her policy differences with Bass were narrow.

## Coverage

- [Reason: Nithya Raman leads Karen Bass in close Los Angeles mayoral race](https://reason.com/2026/11/05/democratic-socialist-nithya-raman-set-to-oust-l-a-mayor-karen-bass/)
- [Daily Mail: LA elects its wokest ever mayor Nithya Raman after Karen Bass presided over wildfires disaster... with locals now fearful vagrant and drug filled City of Angels will descend even further into squalor](https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16259289/Nithya-Raman-wins-Los-Angeles-mayor-midterms-Karen-Bass.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490)
- [New York Post: Nithya Raman poised for LA mayoral victory over Karen Bass after latest ballot drop](https://nypost.com/2026/11/05/us-news/nithya-raman-poised-for-la-mayoral-victory-over-karen-bass/)
- [New York Post: Spencer Pratt issues scathing takedown of Karen Bass and Nithya Raman after decision in LA mayor race](https://nypost.com/2026/11/05/us-news/spencer-pratt-rips-karen-bass-nithya-raman-after-la-mayor-race-decision/)

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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.