Los Angeles experienced significant political shifts following the election held this week, with Nithya Raman, a democratic socialist, winning the mayoral race against incumbent Karen Bass. Raman’s victory makes her the first democratic socialist to serve as the city’s mayor, and she joins the mayor of New York as a socialist-aligned chief executive in one of America’s largest cities.
The Democratic Socialists of America Los Angeles chapter saw substantial electoral success beyond the mayoral race. Marissa Roy won the city attorney position with 67.39% of the vote, while Angela Gonzales-Torres defeated incumbent US Representative Jimmy Gomez with 60.6% of the vote in a congressional race. The organization also helped elect members to school boards and city councils in the region, including achieving the first socialist-majority city council on the West Coast in Burbank. DSA-LA reported that chapter membership grew by approximately 2,000 people this week alone, building on a base of more than 6,000 members as of the previous month.
According to observers, Bass’s popularity had eroded significantly prior to the election. UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs director Zev Yaroslavsky noted that public frustration with the city’s direction, particularly regarding how Bass handled the Palisades fire in January of the previous year, contributed to her defeat. Yaroslavsky stated that polling indicated “a significant majority” of Los Angeles residents believed the city was moving in the wrong direction.
Raman’s path to this victory differed from her 2020 city council election, as the endorsement decision proved complicated within DSA leadership. The organization had initially backed other candidates before Raman entered the race, and internal disputes emerged over her positions on issues including Israel-Palestine matters and support from pro-Israel organizations. National DSA leaders briefly considered rescinding their endorsement before ultimately allowing the chapter’s support to proceed.
As Raman prepares to assume office, Yaroslavsky stated she will need to build trust among communities that did not vote for her—a challenge the mayor-elect has acknowledged. The DSA organization, which has grown significantly since supporting Raman’s council campaign in 2020, demonstrated what it characterized as sophisticated resource allocation focused on volunteer outreach and grassroots mobilization during the recent election cycle.
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