Wednesday morning brought a sharp turn in the Los Angeles mayoral race, with Nithya Raman now leading Karen Bass by 16,594 votes after 62.7% of ballots were processed. The Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk's 3:11 a.m. update showed Raman at 377,458 votes (51.12%) and Bass at 360,864 votes (48.88%), according to NBC Los Angeles and ABC7. Earlier in the evening, Bass had held a lead of nearly 10,000 votes, with 292,876 to Raman's 282,935 when about 49% of expected votes were reported. The advantage shifted as more ballots, including those cast on Election Day and late-arriving mail ballots, entered the count. Observers have pointed to the timing and makeup of ballot reporting, noting that Raman's younger supporters may have fueled her rise as more Election Day votes were added.
The contest has zeroed in on the city's toughest problems, with homelessness, affordability, and public safety dominating the debate. Raman, who joined the Los Angeles City Council in 2020, has centered her campaign on affordable housing and renter protections. She is connected to both the Democratic Party and the Democratic Socialists of America, and her changing stance on Los Angeles Police Department funding has faced ongoing scrutiny. The race has taken on a personal tone, with both candidates running as Democrats and having once been "old allies" now competing for many of the same voters, as Deadline reported.
Campaign momentum and candidate responses
Raman spoke to supporters at the Greek Theatre Plaza in Griffith Park, highlighting the call for change and the strain of rising living costs. She described a widespread sense that Los Angeles's challenges had become entrenched and urged renewed hope for the city's future. Bass, mayor since 2022, addressed her supporters in Hollywood, voicing her commitment to building a city where families can afford to live and children can pursue their goals. Bass noted that the election was still undecided while speaking to her supporters, and neither candidate had conceded as of Wednesday morning, according to The Press Democrat.
Bass's time as mayor has included controversy, especially over her response to the Palisades Fire in January 2025, which started while she was on a diplomatic trip to Ghana. The fire destroyed thousands of homes and caused 12 deaths, bringing her crisis leadership under heavy scrutiny.
Political context and implications for Los Angeles
The campaign has remained tight, with the Los Angeles Times reporting that both campaigns spent a combined $13 million. Early results included vote-by-mail ballots received and processed before Election Day and ballots cast during early in-person voting, while later updates added Election Day ballots and more mail ballots. The contest stayed close for about two weeks before Election Day, with late Tuesday numbers showing Bass at 50.7% and Raman at 49.3% out of nearly 500,000 votes, before later batches put Raman ahead. The swing in support highlights the impact of younger voters and the central role of housing policy in city politics. For more on how mayoral decisions shape renters' experiences and housing affordability, see this earlier breakdown.
The Los Angeles County Registrar's office planned to release updates twice daily through Friday and then once daily starting Saturday, with final results expected by November 27, 2026. The outcome is still unsettled, and the reported lead is not yet certified. The ongoing count keeps the focus on the stakes for Los Angeles residents dealing with persistent housing, safety, and affordability challenges.
