Progressive Nithya Raman advances to November runoff against Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass

By — Michael R. Blood, Associated Press Michael R. Blood, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/progressive-nithya-raman-advances-to-november-runoff-against-los-angeles-mayor-karen-bass Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Progressive Nithya Raman advances to November runoff against Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass Politics Jun 9, 2026 12:53 PM EDT LOS ANGELES (AP) — Progressive city council member Nithya Raman has advanced to a November runoff against Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, setting up an unexpected matchup between two Democrats and former political allies to run the struggling city of nearly 4 million. The outcome means Spencer Pratt, a Republican and former reality television personality from "The Hills," is out of the running. His candidacy had drawn national attention because of his celebrity and willingness to challenge liberal governance in a city dominated by Democrats, but the buzz did not translate into enough votes to make the runoff. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Raman made a last-minute entry into the race, after she had endorsed Bass for reelection. She was elected to the council with the support of the Democratic Socialists of America, and the election will test whether voters in the heavily Democratic city want to move further to the political left to address long-running problems of homelessness, buckled streets and sidewalks and climbing rent and home prices. The race also has historical markers. Bass is the first Black woman to hold the post, and Raman could be the first South Asian woman in the job. "If you're as frustrated by the broken status quo as I am, I hope you'll join our movement to build a city that works for everyone," Raman said in a statement. "For too long, City Hall has prioritized giving political advantage to powerful interests that fund elections. Meanwhile, working people pay the price in higher rents, depleted services and a city that has stopped working for them." "A campaign against Nithya Raman, who allows encampments near schools and cuts the police force, is one Mayor Bass looks forward to winning," said Bass campaign strategist Douglas Herman. Raman gained votes on Pratt in every vote update since Election Day as Los Angeles continued to process additional mail ballots and release results. Raman moved past Pratt and into second place on Sunday and extended her lead over Pratt on Monday to nearly 22,000 votes. The mayoral matchup sets the field in one of the state's two marquee races. In the other, the California governor's race, Democrat Xavier Becerra has advanced to the general election but it's not yet clear if he will face Republican Steve Hilton or fellow Democrat Tom Steyer. Hilton has more votes than Steyer, but Steyer cut into his lead by nearly a third in Monday's vote updates. The mayoral race was technicall