Lead grows as ballot counting continues
The Los Angeles County tally updated at 4:34 p.m. local time put Raman at 460,772 votes, or 52.70%, and Bass at 413,519, or 47.30%. Raman's margin had grown from 34,654 votes in the morning to 47,253. The count remains provisional as election workers process ballots cast Tuesday; county officials are scheduled to certify the results on Nov. 27, 2026.
Raman acknowledged her victory Thursday on X, writing: "Los Angeles, I am deeply honoured to be your next mayor." Bass said on the platform that she had called to congratulate Raman and would support a smooth handover. Raman also said she had thanked Bass for her leadership and years of public service.
The result makes Raman the first challenger in more than two decades to unseat a Los Angeles mayor, according to the Los Angeles Times. The previous such victory came in 2005, when then-City Councilmember Antonio Villaraigosa defeated James K. Hahn.
A last-minute challenge to a former ally
Raman had publicly endorsed Bass only weeks before deciding to oppose her. According to the Los Angeles Times, she made the decision the night before the Feb. 7, 2026 filing deadline and joined the race in its final hours.
Bass entered the contest politically weakened by the 2025 Palisades fire, which began while she was abroad on a diplomatic mission. She took 34% of the vote in the June 2, 2026 primary, a result the Times described as weak for an incumbent.
The Democratic Socialists of America backed Raman's mayoral campaign. The leftist organization has also endorsed New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Its Los Angeles chapter supported Raman when she first won a council seat in 2020.
Housing, homelessness and city services
Raman made access to housing, homelessness and municipal services central to her campaign. Her proposals included improvements to street-light maintenance and pothole repairs, as well as structural policing reforms, according to LAist.
She set two targets for street homelessness: a citywide reduction of half by summer 2028 and its elimination by the end of her first four-year term, the Los Angeles Times reported. Raman criticized Bass's approach as expensive and ineffective.
Raman also promised an executive order on her first day in office to accelerate housing approvals, according to USA TODAY. Her council work has included advocating for renter protections and closer scrutiny of homelessness spending, along with helping shape the city's sanctuary city ordinance.
From urban planning to the mayor's office
Raman moved from India to the United States with her family when she was six. She attended Harvard University and later earned a master's degree in urban planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her work before joining the council included addressing homelessness and co-founding the SELAH Neighborhood Homeless Coalition.
Her 2020 election made her both the first Asian-American woman and the first South Asian to serve on the Los Angeles City Council. Voters reelected her in 2024; she will now lead the country's second-largest city.
The mayor's job pays $310,000 annually, and Raman's term will last four years. The City Council is expected to arrange a special election to replace her as the representative of a district centered on the Hollywood Hills.
