DSA Keeps Nithya Raman's LA Mayor Endorsement by One Vote

Nithya Raman's campaign for Los Angeles mayor almost lost one of its most important backers the night before voters go to the polls. On Monday, members of the Democratic Socialists of America cast ballots on whether to keep endorsing her. The count came back 14 to 13. One vote kept the endorsement alive, according to the New York Post, which cited reporting from the Los Angeles Times.

Raman is running against incumbent Mayor Karen Bass in Tuesday's election. The DSA endorsement matters to her campaign because the group helped build her political career from its grassroots organizing base, the Post reported.

What did the DSA vote on, exactly?

The DSA's National Political Committee voted on whether to keep backing Raman or pull its support just hours before polls open. The fight centered on her position on boycotting Israel, a dispute that had been building for weeks, according to the Post.

The tension did not start Monday. On Oct. 26, the same committee voted 14-13 to give Raman a deadline — Saturday — to clarify where she stood on the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, known as BDS, or lose the endorsement outright, the Post reported. BDS seeks to pressure Israel through economic boycotts, divestment from Israeli-linked investments, and sanctions over its treatment of Palestinians.

The numbers

• 14-13: the vote Monday to keep Raman's endorsement
• 14-13: the earlier vote on Oct. 26 giving her a deadline to clarify her position
• Oct. 19: the date two socialist factions first pushed to expel Raman, as reported by the Post's sister outlet, the California Post
• Saturday: the deadline Raman faced to submit a statement on BDS

Why did Raman's position on Israel become a flashpoint?

Raman's stance shifted over six years. In 2020, she said she personally did not support BDS and opposed government agencies taking part in boycotts against Israel, according to the Post. Last week, she submitted a new statement embracing the boycott movement. She also accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, an allegation Israel rejects, the Post reported.

That reversal is what split the DSA's political committee almost evenly. One faction wanted her expelled over her past opposition to BDS; another weighed how a late-campaign break with Raman would land two weeks before an election she is trying to win against a sitting mayor.

What did Raman say to keep the endorsement?

In her statement to the committee, Raman laid out how she wants Angelenos to act on the conflict.

"I believe the best way for working Angelenos to stand in solidarity with Gaza is through non-violent protest, legislative action..."

The Post's cited excerpt of Raman's statement cuts off at that point. What is clear from the reporting is that the statement was enough to persuade a one-vote majority of the committee to stick with her campaign for now.

Could Raman still lose the endorsement?

Yes. The Post reported that Raman could still face expulsion from the DSA after Tuesday's election. Part of the dispute involves demands that she oppose weapons shipments to Israel moving through Los Angeles International Airport. Monday's vote settled the question for Election Day. It did not settle it for good.

What happens Tuesday in the mayor's race?

Voters decide between Raman and Bass on Tuesday. The DSA fight does not change who is on the ballot, but it does affect how much organizing muscle and messaging support Raman has going into the final hours of the campaign. A pulled endorsement two weeks earlier — which came close to happening twice, on Oct. 26 and again Monday — could have cost her volunteers and public backing from a group that helped her win earlier races, according to the Post's account of her political rise.

For now, the endorsement stands. The margin that kept it there was one vote.

This report is based on reporting from the New York Post, which cited the Los Angeles Times.