Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and City Council member Nithya Raman will face off in a November runoff election after emerging as the top two candidates in the city’s crowded mayoral primary, setting up a closely watched contest between two Democrats with differing visions for the future of Los Angeles.
Bass, who was first elected mayor in 2022 after defeating developer Rick Caruso, secured a place in the runoff despite facing growing voter dissatisfaction over her handling of several major challenges, including homelessness and the devastating wildfires that swept through parts of Los Angeles last year. The fires destroyed more than 16,000 structures and sparked criticism of city leadership after water shortages hindered firefighting efforts. Bass also drew scrutiny for being overseas when the fires began.
Raman, a progressive council member and member of the Democratic Socialists of America, launched her mayoral campaign earlier this year, arguing that City Hall has been too slow to address the city’s most pressing issues. While she previously endorsed Bass and enjoyed a cooperative political relationship with the mayor, Raman said she became frustrated by what she described as resistance to transformative policy changes on housing, homelessness, public safety, and city services.
The runoff became possible after late vote counts shifted in Raman’s favor. Former reality television personality Spencer Pratt initially held second place on election night but was overtaken as additional ballots were counted. Pratt, a Republican best known for appearing on the MTV reality series The Hills, built an insurgent campaign focused on criticizing Bass’ wildfire response and promising to tackle homelessness. His candidacy drew national attention, including praise from President Donald Trump.
The November matchup between Bass and Raman is expected to be more competitive than a potential Bass-Pratt race. Pre-primary polling showed both Democrats holding comfortable leads over Pratt in hypothetical head-to-head contests. However, polling of a Bass-Raman matchup suggested a much tighter race, with a large share of voters still undecided.
