Los Angeles has a new mayor — and a historic first. Nithya Raman, a 45-year-old city council member and former urban planner, has defeated incumbent Karen Bass in the Los Angeles mayoral race, becoming the first South Asian person to lead America’s second-largest city. The Associated Press called the race for Raman on Thursday, November 5, 2026, and Bass conceded the same day.
BLUF: Nithya Raman has won the Los Angeles mayoral election, defeating incumbent Mayor Karen Bass with about 52 per cent of the vote, according to the Associated Press, which called the race on Thursday, November 5, 2026. Raman, a Kerala-born former urban planner backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, becomes the city’s first South Asian mayor and the first Asian American to hold the office. She will be sworn in during December.
At a Glance
- Who: Nithya Raman, 45, Los Angeles City Council member and former urban planner
- What: Elected mayor of Los Angeles, defeating incumbent Karen Bass
- When: The Associated Press called the race on Thursday, November 5, 2026; Bass conceded the same day
- The result: Raman held about 52 per cent of the vote; ballots were still being counted and results had not yet been certified
- Historic first: The first South Asian mayor of Los Angeles, and the first Asian American to lead the city
- Background: Born in Kerala, India, in 1981; moved to the United States aged six; served on the City Council since 2020
- Next: Raman will be sworn in during December, ahead of Los Angeles hosting the 2028 Olympic Games
The Result
Raman took the lead early on Wednesday as later mail ballots were counted, and by Thursday afternoon she held 52.1 per cent of the vote to Bass’s 47.9 per cent, according to figures from the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder. Earlier tallies had put her at 51.67 per cent to Bass’s 48.33 per cent, with 405,193 votes to the incumbent’s 379,069. Ballots were still being counted when the race was called, and the results had not yet been certified.
Bass conceded on Thursday, congratulating Raman on her victory. Her defeat makes her the first Los Angeles mayor in nearly two decades to lose a re-election bid. Bass, who took office in 2022, was the city’s first female mayor and its first Black female mayor.
Raman’s campaign was backed by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), making her the first DSA member to lead Los Angeles. Her victory also forms part of a wider run of success for the left-wing movement: democratic socialists now hold or have won the mayor’s office in New York — where Zohran Mamdani won last year — as well as in Washington, D.C., and Seattle.
From Kerala to City Hall
Raman was born in Kerala, India, in 1981, and moved to the United States with her family when she was six years old. Before entering politics, she worked as an urban planner, a background that shaped a campaign built around housing, homelessness and the everyday functioning of city services.
She made her political debut in 2020, when she was elected to the Los Angeles City Council — becoming the first South Asian person and the first Asian American woman to serve on the council, and the first challenger in 17 years to unseat a sitting council member. She retained her District 4 seat in 2024, and has described herself as a daughter of both Thrissur and Thiruvananthapuram, the two Kerala cities her family calls home.
Her mayoral campaign promised a different approach to the issues that dominate life in Los Angeles: expanding affordable housing, taking a new approach to homelessness by deploying more medical teams to assist people who are unhoused, improving neglected city services and building a transit system that works for ordinary residents.
What She Has Promised
Speaking after her victory, Raman said work would start immediately so that Los Angeles could “build housing that people can afford, parks for children to play in, a transit system that can get people where they need to go, a city that is safe for its working people and its families, and a city government that is actually capable of delivering on its promises”.
The challenges awaiting her are considerable. Los Angeles faces a persistent homelessness crisis, pressure on housing affordability, and the enormous task of hosting the 2028 Olympic Games, which begin in July of that year. The city will need to deliver transport, security and infrastructure for the Games while keeping everyday services running for its roughly four million residents.
For Raman’s supporters, the win is about more than one election. Her victory has been celebrated by the Malayali diaspora and the wider Indian community around the world, and by progressive movements in the United States who see Los Angeles — a city of enormous cultural and economic weight — as proof that their politics can win in the country’s biggest cities.
People Also Ask
Who is Nithya Raman?
Nithya Raman is a 45-year-old Los Angeles City Council member and former urban planner who won the 2026 Los Angeles mayoral election. Born in Kerala, India, in 1981, she moved to the United States aged six. She was first elected to the City Council in 2020 and re-elected in 2024.
Why is Nithya Raman’s win historic?
Raman is the first South Asian person — and the first Asian American — to become mayor of Los Angeles, America’s second-largest city. She is also the first member of the Democratic Socialists of America to lead the city, and she defeated an incumbent mayor, something that had not happened in Los Angeles for nearly two decades.
Who did Nithya Raman defeat?
Raman defeated incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, who took office in 2022 as Los Angeles’ first female mayor and first Black female mayor. Bass conceded on Thursday, November 5, 2026, after the Associated Press called the race for Raman with about 52 per cent of the vote.
When will Nithya Raman take office as Los Angeles mayor?
Raman will be sworn in as mayor of Los Angeles during December 2026. One of the major challenges awaiting her is preparing the city to host the 2028 Olympic Games, which begin in July 2028.