Bass holds slight edge over Raman in early L.A. mayoral returns

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is narrowly ahead of City Councilmember Nithya Raman in the race to lead the nation’s second-largest city, according to early returns released Tuesday. The slight gap between the two candidates is a tight margin, especially given that Raman is expected to secure a larger portion of the late-arriving ballots in the coming days.

Paul Mitchell, who heads the polling data firm PDI, explained that the first ballots counted on election night tend to come from older, more conservative voters. That demographic is a group Bass needs to win by large margins. Mitchell said the current numbers were probably better than the Raman campaign had expected, noting that these were likely Bass’ best set of voters.

Raman, 45, first won her council seat in 2020 and joined the mayoral race in February. She had publicly endorsed Bass just weeks before launching her own challenge. The contest has been defined by generational differences, with the candidates staking out opposing positions on public safety, housing production, and strategies for ending homelessness.

Bass, 73, secured support from much of the city’s political establishment, including the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor and the county’s Democratic Party. Raman aligned herself with groups such as the Democratic Socialists of America and Streets For All. During the final days of the campaign, Bass campaigned at senior centers in West Adams and Northridge. Raman visited bars, nightclubs, and college campuses to spread her message for change at City Hall.

Mark Ramos, who chairs the county Democratic Party, said he felt good about Bass’ prospects despite the bumps she faced on the campaign trail. He noted that voters do not focus on the election until the final week or two. Ramos was present at Bass’ election night party at the Loews Hotel in Hollywood, where he said he believed voters would come home to the incumbent when they focused on the issues.

In Los Feliz, supporters of Raman gathered in the Greek Theatre plaza to cheer the election victories of Democrats in other parts of the country. Maria Spear, a grad student who knocked on doors for Raman, said affordability was a top issue in the campaign. Spear, who spends more than half her paycheck on rent, said Raman represents the change many people in the city are yearning for.

Bass had previously served in Congress and the state Legislature but secured just 34% of the vote in the June 2 primary. Her disapproval ratings remained high after the 2025 Palisades fire, which broke out while she was on a diplomatic mission. She attempted to reverse her fortunes by touting progress in reducing violent crime and lowering unsheltered homelessness by 11%.