Nithya Raman Wins Los Angeles Mayor's Race, Ousting Karen Bass

Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman has won the city's mayoral race, defeating incumbent Karen Bass and becoming a democratic socialist in charge of the nation's second-largest city, according to a projection from Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ) reported by Bloomberg on Nov. 5, 2026. Bass has conceded the race, according to the same report.

What happened in the Los Angeles mayor's race?

DDHQ projected Raman as the winner over Bass, Bloomberg reported Nov. 5, 2026. The projection puts a self-identified democratic socialist in the mayor's office of a city Bloomberg describes as the second-largest in the United States. Bass, the incumbent, conceded following the projection, per the report. Bloomberg's dispatch does not include vote totals, margins, or a timestamp for when ballots were tallied, and those figures were not available in the material reviewed for this story.

Who is Nithya Raman?

Raman served on the Los Angeles City Council before the mayoral race, according to Bloomberg's report, which identifies her political label as democratic socialist. The report does not detail her council district, prior votes, policy platform, or campaign messaging, so none of that is included here. Readers seeking a fuller biography will need to wait for additional reporting; this account is limited to what Bloomberg has confirmed as of Nov. 5.

How was the race called, and what did Bass say?

The projection came from DDHQ, an election-data firm whose calls were relayed through Bloomberg's report. Bass's concession is noted in that same dispatch, but no direct quotation from Bass or Raman appears in the source material reviewed, so none is reproduced here. Bloomberg's story is, as of this writing, the sole account establishing both the projected outcome and the concession.

Why does a democratic socialist mayor matter for Los Angeles?

Bloomberg's framing emphasizes scale: Los Angeles is described in the report as the nation's second-largest city, meaning Raman's win hands a democratic socialist control of a municipal government with outsized visibility among big-city executives. The report does not elaborate on what policy shifts might follow, whether Raman's council allies plan committee changes, or how the city's budget process might be affected. Those are open questions for subsequent coverage, not settled facts from the available source.

Quick facts

• City rank: Los Angeles is identified in Bloomberg's report as the nation's second-largest city.
• Race called: Nov. 5, 2026, per DDHQ's projection as relayed by Bloomberg.
• Outgoing officeholder: Karen Bass, the incumbent mayor, per the same report.

Timeline: key moments in the race, as reported

• Nov. 5, 2026 — Bloomberg publishes a report citing DDHQ's projection that Nithya Raman has won the Los Angeles mayor's race, defeating incumbent Karen Bass. The same report states Bass has conceded.
• Prior to Nov. 5, 2026 — Voting took place in the Los Angeles mayoral contest; the specific election date, turnout figures, and vote-counting timeline were not included in the Bloomberg report reviewed for this story.
• After Nov. 5, 2026 — Official certification procedures, any recount windows, and an inauguration date for Raman were not addressed in the available reporting.

What is not yet known?

Several details that typically accompany a mayoral transition are absent from the Bloomberg report: there is no vote count or percentage margin, no quoted statement from either Raman or Bass, no confirmed inauguration date, and no indication of what becomes of Raman's council seat once she takes the mayor's office. Los Angeles County election officials and the city clerk's office are the likely sources for certification timing, though none of that material was part of the source reviewed here. Until further documentation becomes available — official county canvass results, a concession or victory statement, or city filings — this account is limited to the single confirmed fact: DDHQ's projection and Bass's reported concession, as relayed by Bloomberg on Nov. 5, 2026.