Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass saw her lead shrink as election officials continued counting ballots in the city's mayoral primary. Challenger Nithya Raman gained ground on Bass, though many ballots remain uncounted in the race.
Bass thanked supporters and predicted she would win a second term despite the tightening margin. The race has drawn national attention as one of several high-profile municipal contests in California this year.
Raman, who represents areas stretching from the San Fernando Valley to Silver Lake on the Los Angeles City Council, entered the mayoral race just hours before the filing deadline. During her campaign announcement, she outlined concerns about the city's direction, stating that "Los Angeles is at a breaking point, and people feel it in the most basic ways."
Raman focused her campaign on several key issues. She criticized housing costs that are "forcing families out of the city" and called attention to what she described as a homelessness system "that lacks clear ownership and accountability." She also emphasized public safety concerns, noting that "too many people don't feel safe walking down their own blocks at night," even as overall crime has declined.
Throughout her tenure on the city council, Raman has concentrated on rent stabilization and efforts to address homelessness. She has also connected with leaders in the housing advocacy movement, supporting measures to expand housing production through strategies like upzoning single-family neighborhoods.
The race comes after a volatile filing period for the Los Angeles mayoral contest. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath decided not to enter the race, choosing instead to focus on her reelection bid for the county board of supervisors. Her decision came one day before the filing deadline. Earlier in the week, former Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Austin Beutner and developer Rick Caruso also announced they would not be running.
Bass, who previously served in Congress, won her first term as mayor in 2022. Her record has faced scrutiny over her handling of wildfires that burned parts of Los Angeles early last year.
The mayoral race is being conducted amid ongoing immigration enforcement actions by the Trump administration. Bass has characterized these actions as "an attack from our own federal government" and an affront to cities across the country.
California's ballot counting process often extends days or weeks beyond election day as officials verify and tally mail-in and provisional ballots. The state allows ballots postmarked by election day to arrive and be counted for up to a week afterward, with additional time needed to verify signatures and process ballots requiring correction.
Election officials have not announced when they expect to finish counting all ballots. The outcome will determine leadership for the nation's second-largest city as it grapples with housing affordability, homelessness, and public safety concerns.