In a riveting turn of events in Los Angeles politics, City Council member Nithya Raman is set to challenge incumbent Karen Bass for the position of Los Angeles Mayor in the upcoming November polls. This projection was made by CBS News following the significant lead Raman acquired in the recently concluded election results. This major development came on the heels of Raman’s impressive surge over the weekend, where she managed to surpass political newcomer, Spencer Pratt.
California’s unique primary system, which only allows the top two vote-getters to progress to the general election, irrespective of party affiliations, saw Bass with a 34.3% vote share and Raman trailing closely behind with 28.5% of votes. This is with 93% of the total votes already counted. CBS News had previously projected Bass to advance past the primary on election night.
Raman’s impressive comeback from an election night deficit to secure her spot in the runoff is a testament to her political acumen. Pratt, who was initially leading by a six-percentage-point margin over Raman for the second spot in the race, saw his lead gradually diminish with each update from the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder. On Sunday, Raman managed to overtake Pratt by a margin of less than one percentage point.
Raman’s lead was further bolstered when the county’s polling update showed her gaining more than 33,000 votes, pushing her significantly ahead of Pratt’s 25.8% vote share. The weekend was buzzing with reactions from all three candidates about the race results. Pratt urged his followers on social media to remain positive as thousands of votes were still yet to be counted. Bass’ campaign issued a statement targeting Raman shortly after she surpassed Pratt on Sunday.
The statement read, “We look forward to winning a contest against an opponent who allows encampments near schools and fights against hiring more cops, yet is MIA on saving Hollywood jobs and fighting back when ICE invades LA”. On the other hand, Raman’s campaign released a statement early on Monday, expressing their encouragement by the latest vote count and expressing gratitude towards all the Angelenos who have supported her campaign.
In the days leading up to Election Day, the candidates seemed to be in a stalemate, with Bass holding a slim lead of 26%, closely followed by Raman at 25%, and Pratt trailing at 22%. This was according to a May 28 UC Berkeley-LA Times poll, which cited a margin of error of around 3%. However, in the months leading up to the primary, a poll conducted by UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs found that 40% of likely voters remained undecided, leading the director, Zev Yaroslavsky, to label the election as “a wide-open race”. Yet, the most recent UC Berkeley-LA Times poll seems to suggest that most undecided voters had finally made up their minds, with the number of undecided voters dropping to just 10%.
The mayoral race in Los Angeles has been attracting attention from all across the nation, fueled by a series of events that occurred in the city in 2025. The year began with the devastating Palisades and Eaton Fires in January, followed by the commencement of immigration enforcement raids and the ensuing protests in the subsequent months.
After it was projected that she would be advancing to the November runoff, Raman released a statement on Monday afternoon. She said, “I’m incredibly honored that voters have given us the opportunity to advance to the general election for Mayor of Los Angeles. To the thousands of supporters who knocked doors, made calls, sent texts, donated, and opened their homes for events across the city, and to everyone who made this moment possible: thank you, from the bottom of my heart.”
Raman pledged to continue the fight to create a “healthier, safer, more affordable, and more joyful Los Angeles.” She criticized the city’s political establishment, stating, “For too long, City Hall has prioritized giving political advantage to powerful interests that fund elections. Meanwhile, working people pay the price in higher rents, depleted services, and a city that has stopped working for them.” Raman concluded her statement by inviting those who were frustrated by the broken status quo to join her movement to build a city that works for everyone.
Shortly after Raman was projected to advance, Bass’ campaign shared an updated statement, stating, “A campaign against Nithya Raman, who allows encampments near schools and cuts the police force, is one Mayor Bass looks forward to winning.” However, Spencer Pratt had not yet made any public comments on the matter as of Monday evening.
Raman, formerly a supporter of Bass, had announced her surprise bid for mayor in February. This came as a shock given that she had previously endorsed the incumbent in her reelection bid. Raman, in her campaign announcement, stated, “Los Angeles is at a breaking point, and people can feel it in the most basic ways. The city gave me and my husband so much, but today, I fear that the city is no longer a place of opportunity for too many.”
Elected to the Los Angeles City Council in 2020 and reelected in 2024, Raman represents the Fourth District, which stretches from the San Fernando Valley to the Santa Monica Mountains. She is a Democrat and has been vocal about her belief that Bass has failed to adequately address the city’s homeless crisis since taking office.
While speaking to a crowd of supporters on election night, Raman expressed pride in her fight against the “MAGA machine” and pledged to continue to fight for Los Angeles regardless of the outcome of the race. She said, “Tonight may not give us a final answer on this race. Many thousands of votes will be counted on the days ahead, and we may not get an answer we like. But regardless of what happens next, nobody, nobody can take away what we built together.” Raman also stated that if she does not win the mayoral election, this will be her last political campaign.
Karen Bass, after serving for over a decade as a congresswoman and as LA’s 43rd Mayor, has stated that this race will be her last campaign for public office. Before her 12-year tenure in the House of Representatives, Bass represented LA in the state Assembly from 2004 to 2010, where she was the first Black woman to serve as Speaker of a state legislative body.
Despite facing several critical tests of leadership since being elected as mayor, including the city’s ongoing homelessness crisis, the Hollywood labor strikes in 2023, the Palisades Fire, and increased immigration enforcement operations that began in 2025, Bass has celebrated her achievements so far. She notably worked to avert layoffs during the budgetary crisis and reduced the number of unhoused residents. After the announcement that she would advance to the general election in November, Bass told supporters that her work isn’t over and that they have “laid a foundation” for success in her first term as mayor.
Spencer Pratt, best known for his role on the MTV hit series “The Hills” in the early 2000s, started his political journey months after the devastating Palisades Fire in January 2025. Since announcing his bid for mayor, Pratt has ammassed a large social media following, even catching the attention of President Trump, who seemed to back Pratt’s campaign in the weeks leading up to Election Day. On election night, a confident Pratt stated that he looks forward to more debates with Bass because it has become his “favorite thing to do.”
