Raman ousts Bass as Los Angeles mayor, a socialist first for the city

Los Angeles City Council member Nithya Raman is projected to become the city's next mayor, ousting one-term incumbent Karen Bass, according to Decision Desk HQ ¹. The race was called Wednesday evening with Raman leading by about 26,000 votes, roughly 3 percent, out of 784,262 votes cast ¹.

Raman, a Democrat, entered the race late, in February, and ran as a former Bass ally who would do things differently ¹. Her campaign focused on the fallout from the 2025 Palisades and Eaton fires, homelessness, reform of the Los Angeles Police Department and affordable housing ¹.

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She becomes the city's first socialist mayor and its first Asian-American mayor, and the second woman elected to the city's highest office ¹². She is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), a left-wing political group, though she campaigned on being independent from the group in her City Council decisionmaking ¹.

The result follows New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's victory last year, giving the DSA another win with a democratic socialist leading a major American city ¹. The last Socialist Party candidate to run for mayor of Los Angeles was lawyer Job Harriman, in 1911 ¹.

From Channel GOPMamdani on ICE agents disguised as construction workersZohran Mamdani · 1.5K plays · captioned, with the source named

Bass, 73, a former congresswoman, was elected in 2022 promising to end homelessness ³. She drew criticism for traveling to Ghana just before the 2025 wildfires that devastated Altadena and the Pacific Palisades ³. The Los Angeles Police Department's union spent more than $5 million to oppose Raman, campaign finance records show ².

Raman, 45, an Indian American and urban planner, has served on the City Council since 2020 ³. She touted reducing homelessness in her district by nearly 50 percent, even as rates rose across the city overall ². Her campaign attacked Bass' signature homelessness program, Inside Safe, which has cost the city over $300 million to house 6,000 Angelenos, 40 percent of whom returned to the streets ².

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In her remarks Tuesday night, Bass said she loves Los Angeles, believes in the city, and will always fight for the city that we deserve ².

The next mayor will lead the city through the final years of the Trump administration and take charge of the 2028 Olympics ². The cost of living remains high, driven largely by gas prices, an issue outside her control, and housing, a problem that could take decades to solve ³.

The race centered on housing, affordability and public safety, and the change in City Hall comes as those issues remain central for Angelenos ²³.

The Record

1. Feb 1, 2026Raman enters the Los Angeles mayoral race late, challenging incumbent Karen Bass ¹.
2. Jun 2, 2026Raman and Bass advance from the nonpartisan jungle primary, ousting former reality TV star Spencer Pratt ¹.
3. Nov 4, 2026Decision Desk HQ calls the race for Raman, who leads by about 26,000 votes out of 784,262 cast ¹.

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<h2>Raman ousts Bass as Los Angeles mayor, a socialist first for the city</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files Campaign Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/raman-ousts-bass-as-los-angeles-mayor-a-socialist-first-for-the-city">The GOP Files</a> on Wednesday, November 4, 2026.</em></p> <p>Los Angeles City Council member Nithya Raman is projected to become the city&#39;s next mayor, ousting one-term incumbent Karen Bass, according to Decision Desk HQ . The race was called Wednesday evening with Raman leading by about 26,000 votes, roughly 3 percent, out of 784,262 votes cast .</p> <p>Raman, a Democrat, entered the race late, in February, and ran as a former Bass ally who would do things differently . Her campaign focused on the fallout from the 2025 Palisades and Eaton fires, homelessness, reform of the Los Angeles Police Department and affordable housing .</p> <p>She becomes the city&#39;s first socialist mayor and its first Asian-American mayor, and the second woman elected to the city&#39;s highest office . She is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), a left-wing political group, though she campaigned on being independent from the group in her City Council decisionmaking .</p> <p>The result follows New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani&#39;s victory last year, giving the DSA another win with a democratic socialist leading a major American city . The last Socialist Party candidate to run for mayor of Los Angeles was lawyer Job Harriman, in 1911 .</p> <p>Bass, 73, a former congresswoman, was elected in 2022 promising to end homelessness . She drew criticism for traveling to Ghana just before the 2025 wildfires that devastated Altadena and the Pacific Palisades . The Los Angeles Police Department&#39;s union spent more than $5 million to oppose Raman, campaign finance records show .</p> <p>Raman, 45, an Indian American and urban planner, has served on the City Council since 2020 . She touted reducing homelessness in her district by nearly 50 percent, even as rates rose across the city overall . Her campaign attacked Bass&#39; signature homelessness program, Inside Safe, which has cost the city over $300 million to house 6,000 Angelenos, 40 percent of whom returned to the streets .</p> <p>In her remarks Tuesday night, Bass said she loves Los Angeles, believes in the city, and will always fight for the city that we deserve .</p> <p>The next mayor will lead the city through the final years of the Trump administration and take charge of the 2028 Olympics . The cost of living remains high, driven largely by gas prices, an issue outside her control, and housing, a problem that could take decades to solve .</p> <p>The race centered on housing, affordability and public safety, and the change in City Hall comes as those issues remain central for Angelenos .</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/raman-ousts-bass-as-los-angeles-mayor-a-socialist-first-for-the-city">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/raman-ousts-bass-as-los-angeles-mayor-a-socialist-first-for-the-city.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. The Hill, “Raman ousts Bass as Los Angeles mayor” (2026-11-05). thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/6149517-nithya-raman-los-an
2. The 19th, “Nithya Raman prevails over her former ally to lead Los Angeles” (2026-11-05). 19thnews.org/2026/11/election-results-los-angeles-mayor/
3. Courthouse News, “Progressive Nithya Raman leads incumbent Karen Bass in LA mayor race” (2026-11-04). courthousenews.com/progressive-nithya-raman-leads-incumbent-

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