LA Mayor Race Gets Its Two Finalists: Bass vs. Raman in November

Los Angeles had a primary election in June 2026 to narrow down the candidates for mayor. Two names made it through: incumbent Mayor Karen Bass and City Councilmember Nithya Raman. They will face off again on November 3 in what's called a runoff election — essentially a head-to-head match to decide who becomes mayor.

The big surprise was Raman's strong showing. She entered the race late, with less time to campaign than other candidates, but still came in second place. That beat out reality TV personality Spencer Pratt, who was eliminated from the race, according to The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times.

The Two Candidates

Karen Bass is the sitting mayor — the person in charge right now. She's been trying to handle some of Los Angeles's biggest, longest-running problems: homelessness, housing costs, and crime. These are issues that have frustrated city residents for years.

Nithya Raman is a city councilmember who represents the 4th District, which includes neighborhoods like Los Feliz, Silver Lake, and Studio City. She's known for working on housing and protecting renters' rights. She's been on the city council since 2020.

Spencer Pratt, known mainly from the reality show The Hills, got a lot of media attention during the campaign, according to the BBC. But he didn't make it to the runoff. The November election will be between two people who actually work in government, not celebrities.

How Did Raman Pull This Off?

Raman announced her campaign late — much later than other candidates. Getting on the ballot, hiring staff, and raising money to run a campaign in a city of four million people is hard work. Doing it on a tight schedule made it even harder.

She had some built-in advantages, though. The neighborhoods she represents — wealthier, more educated areas with higher voting rates — already knew her name from her council work. Local organizations that backed her in 2020 helped again.

After the primary results came in, Raman said she was "incredibly honoured" to advance and promised to "fight for a healthier, safer and more joyful Los Angeles," per The Guardian.

The language matters here. When she says "safer," she's directly addressing the crime and public safety concerns that voters care about most. "Healthier" and "more joyful" point to the everyday quality of life — things that matter to homeowners and renters trying to afford living in LA.

What Makes This Race Interesting

This won't be a fight between an "outsider" and an "insider" — both candidates work in LA government. Instead, they'll argue over what the city should prioritize and whether Bass's record as mayor is worth voting for again.

Bass will say: Look at what my administration has done on homelessness and housing. She needs to show voters that her work has actually improved people's lives.

Raman will say: The city still has big problems. She can point to her council work on housing and tenant rights as proof she can do better.

The broader context here is worth noting. LA voters have watched many mayoral candidates come and go. History shows that the candidate who wins needs to build a coalition that stretches across the whole city — from wealthy areas to working-class neighborhoods, from the San Fernando Valley to South Los Angeles. It's not enough to win your home district; you have to win the city.

Raman has a real path to victory. But she'll have to convince voters in areas where she's less well-known that she can solve their problems too.

What Happens Between Now and November

For the next five months, both campaigns will focus on three big issues that have defined Los Angeles politics for years: homelessness and housing, police staffing and accountability, and how the city pays for everything it does.

Raman needs to expand her support beyond the wealthy, higher-turnout neighborhoods where she already has a base. She'll need to do well in the San Fernando Valley, South Los Angeles, and the Westside. Endorsements from labor unions and neighborhood groups will be important signals of which way the race is tilting.

Bass faces a different kind of challenge. She's the incumbent, which means voters will judge her based on whether things have actually gotten better. Mayors running for re-election in Los Angeles have struggled when they can't point to real progress on the issues people care about most. She has until November to show results.

Between now and election day, both campaigns are simultaneously campaigning and doing the real work of city government. For Bass especially, this is like being judged on your current job performance while also interviewing for the same job again.

The June primary narrowed the field. November will answer the question LA voters have been asking for years: who can actually make the city work better for the people living there now?