Nithya Raman enters Los Angeles mayor's race to challenge Karen Bass

In February 2026, Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman entered the race for mayor, mounting a late challenge to the incumbent, Karen Bass. Her decision came relatively close to the deadline for candidates to qualify for the ballot, and it changed what had looked like a less competitive contest.

Raman, a progressive who first won her council seat in 2020, had built a reputation on housing, homelessness and public safety policy. Her campaign offered voters a direct alternative to Bass, who was seeking re-election after taking office in 2022 and whose record on homelessness and the city's response to major disasters drew criticism.

The entry mattered because it turned the race into a clear contest between a sitting mayor and a member of the city's own legislature, with debate centred on how the city should manage its most pressing problems. It set the stage for the campaign that ended with Raman's victory and Bass's concession.