Mayor Karen Bass and Nithya Raman in dead heat as voters face face excruciating wait in LA mayoral race

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass held a lead of fewer than 10,000 votes over challenger Nithya Raman as counting continued, leaving the outcome of the closely fought race uncertain. Neither candidate claimed victory, and the result will determine who leads the United States’ second-largest city.

At 10 p.m., Bass had 292,876 votes, or 50.86%, to Raman’s 282,935, or 49.14%, out of 575,811 counted. Countywide, about 1.9 million ballots had been cast by early Tuesday afternoon, roughly 32% of registered voters; further updates were scheduled as ballots were processed. Mail ballots postmarked by Election Day can arrive within seven days and still be counted, while final results are scheduled for certification on 27 November.