Key points
- Nithya Raman has defeated incumbent Karen Bass in the Los Angeles mayoral election, the Associated Press reported, with projections also called by Decision Desk HQ, CBS News and NBC News.
- The latest Los Angeles County figures give Raman 460,772 votes (52.70%) against 413,519 (47.30%) for Bass, a lead of 47,253 votes; the result is not yet certified.
- Raman will be the first Asian-American and first South Asian mayor of Los Angeles, and only the second woman to hold the office; her term begins on 14 December.
- It is the first time since 2005 that a sitting Los Angeles mayor has lost re-election, and the result puts democratic socialists in charge of America's two largest cities.
Nithya Raman has been elected mayor of Los Angeles, defeating the incumbent, Karen Bass, in the city's mayoral election held on Tuesday 3 November. The Associated Press called the race on Thursday, USA Today reports, and Decision Desk HQ, CBS News and NBC News also projected Raman as the winner. The latest figures from the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder, updated on Thursday afternoon, put Raman on 460,772 votes, or 52.70%, against 413,519 votes, or 47.30%, for Bass — a lead of 47,253 votes. The figures remain unofficial: county officials are scheduled to certify the results on 27 November, USA Today reports. Read more: Democrats projected to retake the US House in midterm wave, as Senate control stays undecided
Bass conceded on Thursday, the Associated Press reported. In a written statement she said she had telephoned Raman to congratulate her and promised a smooth transition, Prothom Alo reports. Raman wrote on X: "Thank you, LA. Let's get to work."
A first in the city's history
Raman, 45, is a city councillor for District 4 and a former urban planner, Moneycontrol reports. She was born in Kerala, India, and studied at Harvard before taking a graduate degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She first won her council seat in 2020, becoming the first South Asian elected to the Los Angeles City Council, The Statesman reports. She entered the mayoral race only hours before the nomination deadline, Moneycontrol reports, challenging a mayor she had once been allied with — and, as The Statesman notes, she is the first Los Angeles mayoral candidate to defeat an incumbent since 2005.
Her victory also breaks new ground for the city. Raman will be the first Asian-American and the first South Asian mayor of Los Angeles, and only its second woman mayor, The Statesman and NDTV report. Bass, 73, was elected in 2022 as the first Black woman mayor in the city's history, the Free Malaysia Today reports.
What decided the race
Raman's campaign centred on housing affordability, homelessness and the delivery of municipal services, NDTV reports. Those issues dominated a race fought against the backdrop of the January 2025 Palisades fire, one of the deadliest and most destructive wildfires in the city's history, which killed 12 people and destroyed more than 6,800 structures, Prothom Alo reports. Bass drew heavy criticism for being out of the country, travelling in Africa, when the fire broke out, and her standing never recovered, Prothom Alo reports. Raman, who had been the first Los Angeles council member affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America, drew on frustration with the status quo among voters, the Free Malaysia Today reports.
What happens next
Raman takes office on 14 December, USA Today reports, and will lead the city as it prepares to host the 2028 Olympic Games. The result also has a national echo: with Zohran Mamdani's victory in New York, America's two largest cities will both be led by democratic socialists of Indian descent, NDTV notes. For Los Angeles, the immediate task is the transition — Bass has promised a smooth handover, and the county's certification of the result on 27 November will make Raman's win official.
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The key figures
| Measure | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Votes for Nithya Raman | 460,772 (52.70%) | Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder, via IANS / The Statesman |
| Votes for Karen Bass | 413,519 (47.30%) | Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder, via IANS / The Statesman |
| Raman's lead | 47,253 votes | Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder, via IANS / The Statesman |
| Last time a sitting Los Angeles mayor lost | 2005 | USA Today |
| Results certified | 27 November 2026 | USA Today |
| Raman takes office | 14 December 2026 | USA Today |
Updates & corrections
Published 6 November 2026.
The result is a media projection (Associated Press, Decision Desk HQ, CBS News, NBC News) and the latest Los Angeles County figures at the time of publication, not a certified result; counting continues and certification is scheduled for 27 November. No corrections have been made.
Sources
- USA Today, Nithya Raman wins fierce LA mayor race, ousting Bass, per race calls, 5 November 2026, on the projections from Decision Desk HQ, CBS News and NBC News, the margin of about four percentage points, the first incumbent loss since 2005, the term beginning on 14 December, and certification scheduled for 27 November: usatoday.com
- USA Today, Midterm results updates, 5 November 2026, on the Associated Press calling the race for Raman and Bass telephoning her to concede: usatoday.com
- Prothom Alo, India-born Democratic socialist Nithya Raman elected Los Angeles mayor in upset over Bass, 6 November 2026, on Bass conceding on Thursday with a promise of a smooth transition, the Palisades fire killing 12 people and destroying more than 6,800 structures, and Bass's absence abroad during the fire: en.prothomalo.com
- The Statesman, Kerala-born Nithya Raman unseats Karen Bass, makes history as LA's first Asian-American mayor-elect, 6 November 2026, on the Los Angeles County figures of 460,772 votes (52.70%) against 413,519 (47.30%), the lead of 47,253 votes, Raman as the first Asian-American and first South Asian mayor and the second woman mayor, and her 2020 council win: thestatesman.com
- Moneycontrol, Indian-origin Nithya Raman scripts history, wins Los Angeles mayor race, 6 November 2026, on Raman entering the race hours before the nomination deadline, her Harvard and MIT education, her post "Thank you, LA. Let's get to work.", and the city's first Asian-American mayor: moneycontrol.com
- NDTV, Nithya Raman's Journey From Kerala To Los Angeles Mayor Via Delhi Slums, 6 November 2026, on the campaign's focus on housing affordability, homelessness and municipal services, Raman as the first Indian-American and first South Asian to lead the city, and democratic socialists of Indian descent leading America's two largest cities: ndtv.com
- Free Malaysia Today, Leftist Nithya Raman beats Democratic incumbent to become LA mayor, 6 November 2026, on Raman as the first Democratic Socialists of America-affiliated council member, Bass as the first Black woman mayor elected in 2022, and the 2028 Olympics: freemalaysiatoday.com