Nithya Raman, 45, has emerged as the front-runner to become Los Angeles's next leader in the Nov. 3 election. A little known city council member at the start of the year, she has vaulted past expectations, previously unseating an incumbent in 2020. Her rise gained momentum after the most viable challenger to Mayor Karen Bass dropped out due to a family tragedy, leaving Raman virtually unopposed.
Republican Spencer Pratt entered the race, scrambling the electoral math in the deeply blue city. Buoyed by progressive forces that propelled New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani to national prominence, Raman leads polls to oust Bass. The prospect of a Raman victory excites the Democratic Socialist movement, which seeks to turn major cities into laboratories for progressive policies.
However, political experts suggest her rise stems more from generalized disenchantment with incumbents than the D. S. A. agenda.
Experts note Raman's charisma pales compared to Mamdani's preternatural political skill. If she wins, it will be because she is not Bass, not because she is the West Coast Mamdani. Raman has argued Los Angeles is leaderless, with a broken government struggling to repair streetlights and potholes.
Bass portrays her opponent as too inexperienced to run the nation's second largest city, especially with the 2028 Olympics approaching. Bass's supporters note no City Council colleagues have endorsed Raman, including other D. S.
A.-aligned members. Raman, born in Kerala, India, and raised in Boston, holds degrees from Harvard and MIT. She moved to Los Angeles in 2013 with her husband, a television writer, and their 10-year-old twins.
She has worked at nonprofits, including in Indian slums and Hollywood. Her campaign has carefully separated itself from Mamdani, framing her run as a natural extension of her work on affordable housing in pricey Los Angeles.
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