How a Last-Minute Candidate Changed LA's Mayor Race

Nithya Raman, a Los Angeles City Council member representing the 4th District, finished second in the June 2026 mayoral primary and will face incumbent Mayor Karen Bass in a runoff election on November 3, according to The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times. Her victory bumped reality TV personality Spencer Pratt out of the race, meaning the runoff will feature two politicians rather than a celebrity outsider.

What makes Raman's achievement noteworthy is that she jumped into the race late. With Los Angeles's four million residents spread across the city, building a campaign, gathering money, and getting on the ballot in a short timeframe is no small feat.

Who's Running — and Who Isn't

Mayor Karen Bass has held office since she took the job, and she's seeking re-election. Her tenure has centered on three issues that have troubled Los Angeles for years: homelessness, the cost of housing, and public safety. These are longstanding problems that have only grown more urgent as the city faces money constraints and operational challenges.

Raman's second-place finish came directly at Spencer Pratt's expense. According to the BBC and The New York Times, Pratt — best known for appearing on the reality show The Hills — did not make it past the primary. His elimination means voters will choose between two candidates with experience in government rather than in entertainment.

Who Is Nithya Raman?

Raman has represented the 4th District council seat since 2020. Her district includes parts of mid-city Los Angeles like Los Feliz, Silver Lake, and Studio City — neighborhoods known for backing progressive candidates. She comes into the general election with existing name recognition and support networks in those areas, which is valuable since these neighborhoods tend to have higher voter turnout in city elections.

After the primary results came in, Raman said she was "incredibly honoured" to advance and pledged to "fight for a healthier, safer and more joyful Los Angeles," according to The Guardian. The language she chose signals her priorities: mentioning "safer" directly addresses the public safety concerns voters care about, while "healthier" and "joyful" appeal to middle-class residents worried about quality of life.

What This Matchup Means

The November 3 runoff will be a contest between an incumbent defending her record and a sitting council member presenting herself as a reformer. Because both women work within Los Angeles's city government, voters won't be choosing between an insider and an outsider. Instead, they'll be comparing how each would handle the city's biggest problems.

Bass will argue that her administration has made progress on homelessness and other issues. Raman will likely focus on specific policy areas — particularly housing and tenant protections — where she has built her reputation. Both candidates will vie for support from progressive voters while also trying to appeal to moderates and business-minded residents, since that's the formula that typically wins city-wide races in Los Angeles.

The broader pattern here echoes Los Angeles political history. Council members who build strong track records on particular issues have often used that platform to run citywide — Jan Perry did this in 2013, as did Mike Feuer in later races. The question each time is whether the coalition that works in a single neighborhood or district can expand across all fifty-three distinct neighborhoods of Los Angeles, where residents have very different priorities about development, police, and how the city should spend money.

The Road to November

Between now and the November runoff, both campaigns will focus on the persistent problems that have shaped Los Angeles politics for years: how to house people experiencing homelessness, how to staff and oversee the police department, how to maintain city services while managing debt and retirement benefits for city workers.

Raman faces a particular challenge. Her base of support is strongest in affluent, higher-turnout neighborhoods on the east and central sides of the city. To win, she'll need to expand into the San Fernando Valley, South Los Angeles, and the Westside — areas where Bass currently has an advantage. Endorsements from labor unions and neighborhood groups will be key signals of how momentum is building as the campaign enters the fall.

For Bass, the runoff is a governing test as well as a political one. Mayors running for re-election must show that their campaign promises match reality on the ground. Los Angeles voters haven't historically been forgiving to incumbents who can't point to real improvements on issues people care about. The months ahead are her chance to demonstrate that her administration is delivering results.

The June primary has set the terms. The November election will turn on a single question Los Angeles voters have been asking for years: which of these two can actually make the city work better for the people living here now?