Nithya Raman unseated incumbent Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass in a competitive mayoral election, making Los Angeles the latest major U.S. city to elect a democratic socialist to its top office. Raman’s victory comes alongside similar electoral outcomes in New York City and Washington DC, where democratic socialist candidates have also won mayoral positions.
Raman first entered electoral politics in 2020, when she defeated an establishment Democrat to secure a seat on the Los Angeles City Council—the first time a sitting council member had been removed from that body in 17 years. Her 2020 campaign received endorsement from Senator Bernie Sanders and was characterized as the first Democratic Socialists of America-backed candidate to win elected office in Los Angeles. The campaign relied heavily on grassroots organizing, with volunteers knocking on approximately 80,000 doors. In her recent mayoral bid, Raman garnered support from younger entertainment industry figures including Mindy Kaling and Adam Scott, as well as from housing advocacy groups and labor unions.
As an urban planner, Raman has centered her political platform on housing affordability, homelessness, and tenant protections. She joined DSA-LA in 2019, stating her primary motivation was the organization’s focus on housing accessibility rather than ideological alignment. Her mayoral platform proposes tripling annual housing construction through a mix of affordable units, market-rate housing, social housing, and homeless shelters. Before running for office, Raman co-founded the SELAH Neighborhood Homeless Coalition in 2017, a volunteer organization now claiming 800 members focused on outreach and advocacy.
Despite her victory, Raman faced notable opposition from the local political establishment, including fellow democratic socialists on the city council who endorsed her opponent. During the mayoral race, Bass highlighted Raman’s strained relationships with council colleagues, an issue Raman’s supporters argued reflected her outsider status rather than a disqualifying factor. Her relationship with DSA-LA itself proved complicated; while the local chapter ultimately endorsed her for mayor, it did not do so during the primary and later acknowledged “ups and downs” in their relationship, citing disagreements over her positions on Palestinian issues and pro-Israel political alliances.
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