Nithya Raman looks miserable as she breaks cover for first time since winning the election

Nithya Raman has won the Los Angeles mayoral race, defeating incumbent Karen Bass and becoming the first challenger to unseat a sitting mayor there since 2005. The result marks a change in city leadership as Los Angeles faces debates over housing, public safety and how City Hall should operate.

Raman thanked supporters in a video statement, while Bass conceded and pledged a smooth transition. Early ballot counts initially gave Bass a narrow lead, but later batches moved Raman ahead; more than 700,000 countywide ballots were still believed to be uncounted on Thursday, though the number cast by city voters was unclear. The police union, which backed Bass and spent millions opposing Raman, congratulated the mayor-elect and raised concerns about potential LAPD cuts.