City Councilwoman Nithya Raman has been projected as the winner of the Los Angeles mayoral race on Wednesday evening, defeating incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, according to Decision Desk HQ.
As of the latest available tallies, Raman had 405,193 votes, or 51.67 percent of the vote, to Bass’ 379,069 votes, or 48.33 percent. The margin stood at 26,124 votes, or approximately 3.3 percentage points, with an estimated 67 to 72 percent of expected ballots counted and roughly 784,000 votes tabulated.
The projection came roughly 24 hours after polls closed on November 3. Los Angeles County officials continued processing remaining mail and provisional ballots, and official certification was not expected until later this month.
Decision Desk HQ projects Nithya Raman wins the CA Los Angeles Mayor Nonpartisan General Election#DecisionMade: 7:49 PM EST
Follow live results here: https://t.co/1kpbRZUYUv pic.twitter.com/LHwjhhfjjz
— Decision Desk HQ (@DecisionDeskHQ) November 5, 2026
Early returns on Election Night had favored Bass by about 1.5 to 2 points, though the gap narrowed overnight as additional ballots were counted. Raman later moved ahead shortly after midnight and expanded the lead through Wednesday’s updates.
Analysts noted that later-arriving ballots in Los Angeles often favor younger and more progressive voters, a pattern consistent with Raman’s support base.
In the June 2 nonpartisan primary, neither candidate received a majority, producing a November runoff. Bass finished first in a competitive three-candidate field with 292,593 votes, or 34.3 percent, while Raman placed second with 247,781 votes, or 29.0 percent. Former reality television Spencer Pratt finished in third place after receiving 217,977 votes, or 25.5 percent.
Raman advanced only after trailing Pratt in the initial primary returns before overtaking him as additional ballots were counted in the days after the primary. The primary field included several other candidates, but the top three accounted for the large majority of the vote.
Raman, first elected to the City Council in 2020, entered the mayoral contest after previously endorsing Bass. She received the endorsement of the Los Angeles chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America and campaigned on changes to city management, homelessness spending and a number of far-left priorities.
