Nithya Raman projected to face Karen Bass in Los Angeles mayor runoff

Nithya Raman is projected to advance to the Los Angeles mayoral runoff, where she will face incumbent Karen Bass in November. The projection follows counting in the city's primary election, with Raman moving ahead of Republican candidate Spencer Pratt. The race is for leadership of the second-largest city in the United States.

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As of late Monday, Raman had 28.5% of the vote, compared with 25.8% for Pratt, according to the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk. Multiple US media outlets projected that Raman had secured enough support to move into the runoff even though the primary count was still ongoing. Bass, a Democratic former congresswoman first elected mayor in 2022, announced her win in a post on X and said Los Angeles had rejected Pratt and the MAGA agenda.

Raman, a Democratic Socialist on the Los Angeles City Council, said in a statement that she was honoured voters had given her the opportunity to advance to the general election. She said her campaign would continue to focus on making Los Angeles healthier, safer, more affordable and more joyful. Pratt, who had been backed by President Donald Trump, had centred his campaign on anger over the city's slow rebuild after the 2025 fires, as well as potholes, homelessness and what he described as an inefficient city hall.

The result matters because it sets up a November contest between two Democrats in a city where local government faces pressure over housing, public safety and recovery from recent fire damage. Bass has come under criticism during her time in office, while Raman's advance suggests a challenge from the left remains viable in a major urban race. The runoff will also be watched as an indicator of how voters respond to competing messages on affordability, governance and the pace of rebuilding.

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The count is taking place under California's mail-in voting system, in which ballots are sent to all registered voters and remain valid if postmarked by Election Day. That means some ballots arrive days after polls close, and results can shift as counting continues. The state's large electorate also means final tallies are often slow, which can leave races unsettled for several days.

There is also a separate federal dimension to the contest. Bill Essayli, a US federal prosecutor appointed by Trump, said he was investigating alleged fraud in the state's primary election and would follow the evidence wherever it led. It remains unclear whether that inquiry will affect the mayoral race or the final certified result.

What to watch next is the continued count of remaining ballots and the formal confirmation of the runoff lineup.

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