Los Angeles mayoral candidate Nithya Raman smiles during her election night party at Boomtown Brewery, Los Angeles, CA, on June 2, 2026. —Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times—Getty ImagesNithya Raman, the City Council member who edged out Spencer Pratt to secure the second spot in the Los Angeles mayoral race, has a competitive contest ahead of her.The Democrat will face her one-time ally, LA’s incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, in the November run-off after earning 28.6% of the vote to Pratt’s 25.8%.Raman initially trailed behind Pratt, who was favoured by U.S. President Donald Trump, but as California’s notoriously slow vote-counting process progressed, she steadily gained ground.“I’m incredibly honored that voters have given us the opportunity to advance to the general election for Mayor of Los Angeles,” Raman said. “Now our fight for a healthier, safer, more affordable, and more joyful Los Angeles continues.”She framed her candidacy as a break from the status quo, positioning herself as a progressive alternative leading a movement intent on building “a city that works for everyone.”Raman executed the element of surprise early on when she entered the LA mayoral race in February, just hours before the deadline and after she had already endorsed Bass’ re-election campaign.Read More: Trump Accuses California Democrats of ‘Cheating’ Over Pace of Vote CountsHere’s what to know about Raman as she makes her bid to lead the nearly four million residents that make up California’s largest city.Raman has experience in competing against more established figuresRaman, a mother of two, MIT graduate, and trained urban planner described her first campaign for LA City Council back in 2020 as a “complete outsider” effort, run without a “political machine.”Raman went on to unexpectedly defeat incumbent council member David Ryu, who had been endorsed by Hillary Clinton and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.Her campaign drew attention—and votes—from a younger crowd who were concerned about rent and wider living costs. It also came amid the politically-charged backdrop of George Floyd’s death and marked a time where young voters were looking for alternatives.“Nithya Raman is about to show us just how progressive Los Angeles really is,” read a headline from the Los Angeles Times in the weeks after her victory.She was re-elected for a second term in 2024.This time, Raman will be facing a long-planned effort from Bass, who has significant backing in the form of endorsements from former Vice President Kamala Harris and California Gov. Gavin Newsom.Although Bass has the support of the city’s political establishment, Raman has received endorsements from Sen. Bernie Sanders and the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment.During the race, Bass has accused Raman of being inexperienced, arguing she has “struggled” on the City Council.“She’s been in City Hall twice as long as I have… but her productivity level has been low. She has struggled because she doesn’t know how to build relationships with her colleagues and council,” said Bass in May. “I just question her ability to lead the city, when she struggles being a member of the City Council.”Raman defended her tenure during a televised interview, arguing that council districts have hit up against the limits of the city. “You need to have leadership at the top that is pushing our departments, holding them accountable,” she said. “There is only a limited amount you can do being one of 15 on the City Council.”Christian Grose, a professor of Political Science at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, tells TIME that Raman’s inexperience with major political contests could be both a strength and weakness.“She can lean on the attacks against Bass, but she could easily be portrayed as someone who is too left for the policies the city needs right now and who doesn't have a lot of support among the elite Democrats,” he says.Bass’ popularity has suffered following the wildfires that devastated parts of southern California early last year.Pratt, who lost his home in the fires, condemned the response from Bass and other local officials throughout his campaign. Bass defended the work her team had done during a lively debate last month.Raman has also been critical of the LA Mayor’s office response.“There has been a real lack of showing up for the residents of the Palisades from this Mayor's office, and I think residents of the Palisades, to whom I've spoken, have shared that this has been a real letdown from the city,” she argued.A poll released in April by UCLA showed that 49% of participants had an unfavorable view of the sitting Mayor.Raman is a progressive who has drawn comparisons to the NYC Mayor During her time on the City Council, Raman has championed policies aimed at lowering housing costs, strengthening tenant protections, and advancing environmental initiatives.“The issue for me as a person who is deeply progressive, as someone who believes in the power of government to do good things and to make our lives better, my goal is to ensure that you, as a resident of Los Angeles, and every resident of Los Angeles, feels like the government is working for them,” she said in an April interview with Pod Save America.Her campaign has drawn comparisons to that of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who triumphed as a progressive challenger last year. Grose explains that the candidates have some alignment as “they're both running from the left.”Mamdani and Raman espouse renter-friendly policies that seek to impose strong tenant protections alongside more pro-building housing policies, he notes.Raman has said she would issue an executive directive as LA Mayor to speed up housing approval and develop a citywide self-certification program to expedite building permits.At the same time, she also proposed launching an Office of Tenant Protections to protect renters through comprehensive case management, policy enforcement, and legal representation.Mamdani ran his campaign largely on affordability, placing the New York City housing crisis at the center of his platform.“In policy issues, you see similar ideas between the two of them, and somehow they manage a coalition that reaches renters and some homeowners,” says Grose.Housing and homelessness is another key issue in Los Angeles, with voters expressing a keenness for it to be tackled.A poll by the Los Angeles Business Council Institute released in April showed that 95% of respondents considered homelessness as a very serious or serious problem, while 87% ranked housing affordability the same way.As such, the debate surrounding how best to approach the matter has remained central to Raman’s platform.In an April 13 interview, Raman criticized Bass for what she described as a “lack of urgency” from City Hall in addressing housing affordability and homelessness. Bass in turn has framed her mayoral efforts as having actively tackled these issues, insisting that they are “beginning to turn things around” and she is “not finished.”Raman is a Trump critic but says she would work with the PresidentRaman has been a vocal critic of the Trump Administration’s immigration-related operations in Los Angeles, which last year saw him deploy the National Guard without approval or request from the city’s leadership.The City Council member has demanded greater accountability from the federal government by calling for immigration enforcement reform.Some of the measures she’s advocated for include banning ICE agents from being able to “hide their faces and conduct operations without identification” and requiring LAPD officers to “verify the identity of any individual claiming to be a law enforcement officer.”She has also suggested Los Angeles’ leaders have not done enough to stand up to Trump’s immigration policies.“When Trump’s draconian policies have caused devastating harm to our immigrant community, elected officials in LA have simply not stepped up to protect residents in the way that we all deserve,” a statement from her campaign website reads.Raman frequently sought to tie Pratt’s candidacy to Trump during the campaign, offering a contrast to her own platform.“Spencer is using the Trump playbook,” she said in early May. “Incendiary language, fearmongering, and political theater meant to divide and distract us. Solving our city’s homelessness crisis, improving public safety, and making this city affordable requires serious leadership, not stunts.”Despite her criticism of the President, Raman has maintained that she would work with the Trump Administration, if elected mayor.“Mayor Mamdani and Governor [Kathy] Hokul in New York are actively engaging with the Trump Administration to protect their residents,” she said, referring to the Democratic leadership in Trump’s birthplace. “I want that in my leadership, and if I'm elected mayor, that's what I will do.”