Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) and City Councilmember Nithya Raman (D) are set to face off in the November general election after emerging as the top two vote-getters in Tuesday's primary, according to Decision Desk HQ. The matchup will determine who leads the nation's second-largest city for the next four years.
With 87 percent of precincts reporting, Bass held 34.68 percent of the vote, while Raman garnered 27.12 percent. Republican reality television personality Spencer Pratt finished third with 26.69 percent, followed by Democratic tech entrepreneur Adam Miller and a handful of other candidates. The top-two finishers advance to the runoff since no candidate secured more than 50 percent of the vote, which would have clinched the seat outright.
Bass, a progressive who defeated wealthy Republican-turned-Democrat Rick Caruso in the 2022 mayoral race, appeared on track to win a second term. But her path has been complicated by a strong challenge from Raman, who represents LA's District 4 and has tapped into voter dissatisfaction with Bass's first term. A UC Berkeley-Los Angeles Times poll from late May showed Bass just one point ahead of Raman and four points ahead of Pratt, underscoring the tight race.
Bass's tenure has been marked by crisis management. Last year, she faced sharp criticism for her handling of devastating wildfires that swept through the region, particularly for an ill-timed trip abroad as the fires began. In the summer, she navigated protests over the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, which led to the deployment of National Guard troops into Los Angeles. Homelessness has also been a persistent issue, though Bass has pointed to data showing street homelessness in the city dropped by 17.5 percent.
Raman has built her campaign around a message of accountability and progressive change, drawing support from voters frustrated with the pace of reforms. Her surge in the polls has mirrored a broader trend of progressive challengers gaining traction in local races, as seen in recent polling that showed her within striking distance of Pratt.
The mayor's office is officially nonpartisan, but the contest is expected to be a battle within the Democratic establishment. Bass has secured endorsements from prominent party figures, including former Vice President Kamala Harris and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Raman, meanwhile, has positioned herself as an outsider willing to challenge the status quo, even as some Democrats worry about internal divisions in a city that leans heavily blue.
The November runoff will test whether Bass can overcome the backlash from her first term and persuade voters that her experience and establishment backing are assets, or whether Raman's insurgent campaign can tap into enough discontent to unseat an incumbent. Both candidates face a crowded field of issues, from homelessness and housing affordability to public safety and disaster preparedness.
