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Democratic socialist Nitya Raman has defeated incumbent Mayor Karen Bass in the Los Angeles mayoral election. Raman's victory has surprised political analysts in California.
Nitya Raman started the election as a weak contender. In comparison to him, Karen Bass was a powerful leader, who had previously been a member of the US Congress. Karen Bass had not lost any election till now.
Raman has often been compared to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Both are democratic socialists and had contested the elections with a progressive agenda.
On being compared to New York's Democratic Socialist Mayor Mamdani, Raman said, "He is one of the most popular leaders in America right now. I am very happy to be compared with him, because he is very skilled at communicating and leading. But I am different from him. I have my own identity."
Image source, Reuters
With Raman's victory, it has been decided that America's two largest cities will now be led by Democratic Socialists.
These include some of America's most famous leaders like Mamdani and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
It was almost certain that the Democratic Party would be elected mayor of Los Angeles. But the question in this second most populous city of America was to what extent the voters were ready to adopt a leftist stance.
Democratic Party leader Bass said in a post on social media on Thursday that she had accepted her defeat by calling Raman.
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She wrote, "Although this is not the outcome we had hoped for, the people of Los Angeles have made their decision known. Moving this city forward is what Los Angeles demands of all of us. I love Los Angeles. I believe in Los Angeles. And I will continue to ensure that the promise of a better life is fulfilled for all of us."
Nitya Raman, a city council member and of Indian origin, had contested the elections with an agenda of change.
He promised to replace "the current broken system and leaders who have repeatedly failed the people."
Who is Nitya Raman?
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Nitya Raman of Indian origin is an urban planner by profession. He has studied from Harvard and MIT.
She is a working mother who represents District 4 on the Los Angeles City Council.
He contested the City Council elections in 2020 and achieved a historic victory. With this, she became the first Asian-American woman and the first South Asian to reach the City Council.
In March 2024, she was elected to this post for the second time with an overwhelming majority.
Since taking office, Raman has prioritized providing responsive and effective services for homelessness, building more affordable housing, and moving quickly to meet the city's climate goals.
She is a member of the Planning and Land Use Management (PLUM) Committee. In addition, she is also a member of the Homelessness and Health Committee, the Public Safety Committee, and the Ad Hoc Committee for Charter Review.
Nitya lives in the city's Silver Lake with her husband Wali Chandrasekaran and twin children Karna and Kaveri.
Her husband Chandrasekaran is a TV writer. Nithya Raman wrote in a post on her
Nitya Raman's promises
He promised to reduce homelessness, increase housing in the city, save jobs amid Hollywood's ongoing layoffs, and protect the city's residents through immigration enforcement actions.
Raman also talked about solving many other problems of the city. These included helping efforts to beautify the city, repairing roads, and revitalizing the city's nightlife.
However, the biggest issue of this election was the fire in Los Angeles in 2025. Dozens of people died in this fire and many areas were destroyed. Bass faced severe political criticism over his absence during the Emergency and the city's handling of the disaster.
The next mayor of Los Angeles will take on the responsibility of hosting the Super Bowl in 2027 and the 2028 Summer Olympic Games.
Initially Raman appeared to be a weak contender, but gradually she started getting support. His popularity increased especially among young voters. In the primary elections held earlier this year, he had left behind reality TV star Spencer Pratt.
Raman's victory over Bass reflects voter trends in other parts of America as well. Democrats have got big victories across the country. This also includes those areas where the Republican Party has been dominant and liberal leaders had not won for decades.
Democratic socialist Janice Lewis George has also been elected the new mayor of Washington DC. This has given a boost to progressive leadership in another major American city.
US President Donald Trump was asked about the victory of the leaders of the leftist faction of the Democratic Party in the White House.
On this he said, "If we look at history, this is going to prove to be a disaster."
Such candidates have become the main targets of attacks by the Republican Party.
Karen Bass, the first Black mayor of Los Angeles, has deep roots in Los Angeles and its history.
Published by Collective Newsroom for the BBC.
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