India-Born Democratic Socialist Nithya Raman Wins Los Angeles Mayoral Race

Nithya Raman, a little-known Los Angeles City Council member backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, has defeated Mayor Karen Bass, an upset that will alter the trajectory of the nation's second largest city.The India-born Raman's upstart campaign marked a generational shift at City Hall as voters followed the lead of New York, where democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani was elected last year. Raman, though, never attracted the same level of national attention and stressed her willingness to break with the progressive party at times during the campaign.Her entry into the race marked a stunning change of heart after she had initially endorsed Bass, once her ally.

She said the city had reached a "breaking point" and announced her own candidacy just before the filing deadline.Bass becomes the first Los Angeles mayor in two decades to lose a bid for reelection. Her first term was undone by the deadly Palisades Fire, which ignited when she was out of the country and caught the fire department unprepared.