Los Angeles mayor race: Kerala-born Nithya Raman wins as Bass concedes
By Priya NairLeadership & Growth Editor, Peepals Shakti
Representative image: 12019 / Pixabay
Kerala-born council member Nithya Raman won the Los Angeles mayor race after Mayor Karen Bass conceded on 5 November 2026; she takes office on 14 December.
What Happened
Nithya Raman, a Kerala-born member of the Los Angeles City Council, has won the Los Angeles mayor race, defeating the sitting mayor, Karen Bass. Bass conceded on Thursday, 5 November 2026, two days after the vote on Tuesday, 3 November, saying she had called Raman to congratulate her on her victory and pledging a smooth handover. In unofficial results released on Thursday, Raman led Bass by 52.1% to 47.9%, with ballots still being counted. Raman, 45, is due to take office on Monday, 14 December 2026, and will lead the second-largest city in the United States.
Key Facts
- Karen Bass conceded the Los Angeles mayor race on Thursday, 5 November 2026, and said she had phoned Raman to congratulate her.
- Unofficial results released that day showed Raman ahead by 52.1% to 47.9%; counting of the remaining ballots was continuing.
- Raman was born in Kerala and moved to the United States, to Louisiana, when she was six years old.
- She is the city council member for District 4 and entered the race at the last minute, in February 2026.
- She is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, which backed her campaign.
- Bass, the city's first woman mayor, won in 2022; according to the Associated Press call of the race, she is the first Los Angeles mayor in two decades to lose a re-election bid.
- Raman's term begins on the second Monday of December, which this year is 14 December.
Why It Matters
Raman's win is the result of a race that began as a long shot. When she declared her candidacy in February, hours before the filing deadline, she was a council member challenging a former ally who held the office. Bass had served one term and was widely treated as the favourite. The result makes Raman the second woman in a row to lead Los Angeles, after Bass became the city's first woman mayor in 2022.
For Indian readers, the story has a clear connection. Raman was born in Kerala and left India as a small child. Coverage of her win has noted that Indian-origin immigrants who are both democratic socialists will now lead the two largest cities in the United States: New York and Los Angeles. After the result she said it was deeply moving that the people of Los Angeles had chosen an immigrant as their next mayor, and she thanked voters and paid tribute to Bass in a video message.
For a sub-page about women in leadership, the path matters as much as the post. Raman built her political career in local government: she won a council seat, held it, and then used it as the base for a city-wide campaign against a sitting mayor from her own side of politics.
The job she takes on is large: she will run the second-largest city in the country, and the mayor's office deals with housing, homelessness and policing. Raman has already begun setting out her agenda, according to local reports, and one of her campaign pledges was to replace the city's police chief, Jim McDonnell. As a council member she also leaves behind a vacancy in District 4, which is likely to be filled through a special election.
Peepals calculation: In the unofficial results of 5 November, Raman's 52.1% against Bass's 47.9% is a lead of 4.2 percentage points (52.1 − 47.9 = 4.2). An earlier count, with about 76% of votes tallied, showed a lead of roughly 34,000 votes out of more than 820,000, which is about 4.1% of the votes counted (34,000 ÷ 820,000 ≈ 0.041), close to the later margin. From Bass's concession on 5 November to the swearing-in on 14 December is 39 days. Our calculation from the reported figures.
| Candidate | Role before the vote | Share in unofficial results (5 Nov) |
|---|---|---|
| Nithya Raman | City council member, District 4 | 52.1% |
| Karen Bass | Mayor since 2022 | 47.9% |
Impact
Short-term: Raman has under six weeks to build a team and prepare to take over City Hall. Counting will continue until the county certifies the final result, so the exact margin may still change, though Bass has already conceded.
Long-term: Her term will be judged on housing, homelessness and public safety in America's second-largest city. Her record will also shape how voters view women from immigrant backgrounds who run for top city jobs.
Who is affected: Residents of Los Angeles; city staff and the police department; voters in council District 4, who will need a new representative; and the Indian-American community, for whom her win is a marker of political reach.
What to watch next: Raman's swearing-in on Monday, 14 December 2026, her first appointments, and the certified final count.
Key Takeaway
Kerala-born Nithya Raman won the Los Angeles mayor race after Karen Bass conceded on 5 November 2026, and she will take office as the city's second woman mayor on 14 December.
Questions and Answers
Who won the Los Angeles mayor race in 2026?
City council member Nithya Raman won the Los Angeles mayor race, defeating Mayor Karen Bass, who conceded on Thursday, 5 November 2026. Unofficial results that day showed Raman ahead by 52.1% to 47.9%.
Is Nithya Raman from India?
Yes. She was born in Kerala and moved to Louisiana in the United States when she was six years old. She is 45.
When does Nithya Raman become mayor of Los Angeles?
Her term begins on the second Monday of December, which in 2026 is Monday, 14 December.
Is Nithya Raman the first woman mayor of Los Angeles?
No. Karen Bass, who won in 2022, was the city's first woman mayor. Raman will be the second woman to hold the post.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
By Priya Nair, Leadership & Growth EditorCovers Leadership & Growth and more for Peepals Shakti. All stories by Priya Nair
Canada Goose Q2: revenue up 5.9%, store comparable sales fall 7.5%
Tumwater four-day week: 28 city staff trade pay rises for time off
Get the day's stories in your inbox
Peepals Weekly: the week decoded, free. One email a week, unsubscribe in one click.
Priya Nair is a pen name of the Peepals Global Editorial Team, which researches, fact-checks and publishes every story. The portrait is an illustration.
