Karen Bass and Nithya Raman Set for Runoff Election

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass will face City Council member Nithya Raman in a runoff election, according to NBC News projections. This sets up a direct contest between two Democrats this November. Bass and Raman, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, emerged from a primary field that also included Spencer Pratt, a former reality TV star and registered Republican. Pratt’s campaign focused on criticizing Bass’s handling of last year’s Los Angeles wildfires.

Sine no candidate received more than 50% of the vote, the top two finishers progress to a runoff. Bass was expected to advance to the general election, per previous NBC News projections. Although Pratt initially held second place behind Bass, later vote tallies leaned more Democratic, enabling Raman to surpass him. This trend mirrored other California races, with late-counted votes favoring Democrats after party members turned out in larger numbers.

Bass, who became mayor in 2022 after defeating the real estate developer Rick Caruso, faced criticism for her absence during last year’s wildfires. These fires destroyed over 16,000 structures and sometimes depleted fire-fighting resources. A March Los Angeles Times poll indicated 56% of respondents viewed the mayor unfavorably.

Against this backdrop, Raman decided to run for mayor despite her ties with Bass. Raman had endorsed Bass for re-election prior to launching her own campaign. Bass had supported Raman during her City Council re-election race. In her campaign launch, Raman highlighted the city’s pressing issues, such as housing and homelessness, and criticized the reluctance within City Hall to implement necessary policy changes.

Bass countered during the campaign by arguing that Raman had not effectively used her council position to drive these changes. During a debate in May, Bass remarked that Raman’s portrayal of herself as an outsider was misleading, given her nearly six years in city government.

Throughout her campaign, Bass acknowledged public frustrations over issues like wildfires and homelessness while promoting her administration’s progress. In a recent election night speech, Bass showed confidence, stating her dedication to serving Los Angeles and her commitment to a successful re-election campaign.

Bass faced challenges from both the left and right, with Pratt capturing national attention. Pratt blamed Bass for the wildfire destruction and campaigned on addressing the city’s homelessness crisis. Though former President Donald Trump did not formally endorse Pratt, he publicly supported Pratt’s candidacy.

Raman’s advance to the runoff changes the race dynamic. In a Los Angeles Times poll before the primary, both Bass and Raman were shown to have strong leads against Pratt in potential matchups. However, the contest between Bass and Raman was closer, with Raman leading Bass 32% to 28% within the margin of error. A significant 40% of respondents were undecided or disinclined to vote, suggesting a more unpredictable campaign ahead.