Nithya Raman was elected to serve as the mayor of Los Angeles, eking out a narrow win over incumbent Karen Bass, in a major shake-up in local politics that reflects the growing dissatisfaction with the direction of the city.
asserted
that → elect → city
The progressive urban planner had served on LA’s city council since 2020.
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planner → serve → 2020
She caused a stir when she entered the race earlier this year hours before the filing deadline – and shortly after endorsing Bass for re-election – and her campaign was once viewed as a long shot.
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campaign → cause → shot
But she shot up in the polls over the summer and, with support from the Los Angeles chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, frequently garnered comparisons to Zohran Mamdani, New York City’s mayor.
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she → shoot → Mamdani
Bass called Raman to concede the race on Thursday, the Los Angeles Times reported, with returns showing Raman was leading with just over 52% of the votes to Bass’s 48%.
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Raman → call → %
Her win came after a historic election night for Democrats across the US who won control of the House and Senate in a rebuke of Donald Trump and his party.
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who → come → Trump
Raman and Bass are progressives, and the mayoral race became a bitter battle two candidates representing different generations and frequently clashing wings of the party.
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race → become → party
Bass had never before lost an election, but faced a difficult road to winning another term as mayor given her low approval ratings on par with Donald Trump’s, Angelenos’ frustration about the state of the city and the wave of anti-establishment sentiment that has swept US politics.
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that → lose → politics
The election came as Los Angeles grappled with significant challenges, including frustration over homelessness, as well as rising costs and housing affordability.
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Angeles → come → homelessness
Meanwhile, the Trump administration’s deportation campaign hit the region hard, Hollywood is struggling, and the city faces a huge budget shortfall.
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city → hit → shortfall
Raman pitched herself to voters as the candidate who can “meet this moment with honesty and urgency” while lowering rents, improving city streets, reducing homelessness and keeping Angelenos safe.
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who → pitch → Angelenos
She struggled in the primary – key portions of the city’s liberal base and large unions had already aligned with Bass – and was overshadowed by Spencer Pratt’s showy campaign.
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portions → struggle → campaign
Pratt, a former reality TV star and registered Republican, decided to run after he lost his home in the Palisades fire.
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he → register → fire
He had splashy and viral campaign ads critical of the mayor and Raman.
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He → have → mayor
He was a frequent thorn in Bass’s side, arguing she was mismanaging the city, and that officials had both failed to adequately prepare for the fire and were falling short in recovery efforts.
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officials → argue → efforts
Raman managed to narrowly beat him in the primary, and was soon gaining headway.
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Raman → manage → headway
Her campaign received a significant boost from the endorsement of the Los Angeles chapter of DSA, of which she was a longtime member.
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she → receive → which
The support meant that a large network of volunteers were knocking on doors to campaign for her across the city.
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network → mean → city
Shortly before the election, the organization’s national leaders considered rescinding the chapter’s support until Raman stated her position on the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, but a vote on the matter ultimately failed.
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vote → consider → matter
As fall progressed, Bass’s campaign intensified its criticism of Raman, and narrowed her lead.
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campaign → progress → lead
But Raman ultimately prevailed after winning support from voters across Los Angeles.
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Raman → prevail → Angeles
Raman supporters celebrated and cheered during an event for the candidate outside the Greek Theatre on Tuesday night.
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supporters → celebrate → night
Max Rico, a high school teacher in South Central Los Angeles, said he felt hopeful Raman would pull ahead as ballots from young voters were tallied.
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ballots → say → voters
Rico, who was wearing a ballot box costume from Halloween, had previously supported Bass but was left disappointed by her tenure and said her policies did not help communities that needed it.
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that → wear → it
He said he was most excited about Raman’s positions on affordable housing because as a teacher he had frequently seen students leave mid-year as their families relocate to areas with lower costs of living.
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families → say → living
“Hopefully we can keep more families here,” he said.
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he → keep → families
The Aporia
