Democrat Socialists of America endorse LA council member Raman over incumbent Bass in LA mayor race

The Los Angeles chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America has endorsed L.A. City Council member Nithya Raman over incumbent Karen Bass in the city's mayoral race. 

The endorsement Wednesday followed Raman securing more than 60% of the vote in an online election among the more than 6,000 DSA members in the Los Angeles chapter, the Los Angeles Times reported. 

Raman has been a DSA member since before her first run for council in 2020. 

Tal Levy, member of the DSA's Los Angeles chapter electoral politics committee, told the Times that the group's base is fed up with "the status quo and really want to see a significant change in how the city is run." 

The committee voted three to two to recommend the endorsement of Raman prior to the organization-wide vote. 

Bass is in a tough reelection bid, amid questions about her handling of the devastating 2025 Palisades fire, in addition to issues of homelessness, federal illegal-immigration enforcement efforts in the city and a declining Hollywood. 

Bass and Raman are running in the nonpartisan general election in November, after neither received more than the 50% of the vote in the June primary that is required to win the election outright. 

Bass is the first mayoral incumbent in Los Angeles to face a runoff since 2005. Los Angles is the country's second-largest U.S. city, after New York. A victory by Raman would mark a Democrat Socialists of America politician running the country's two largest cities, following Zohran Mamdani winning in New York City in November 2025.