Raman claims second spot in Los Angeles mayoral race, setting runoff vs. Mayor Karen Bass

Nithya Raman, a Los Angeles City Council member, advanced to the November runoff for mayor after state and county officials continued counting ballots from the June primary and her total overtook former reality television personality Spencer Pratt, according to multiple major outlets. The change set up a November matchup between Raman and incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, who finished first in the primary and secured her spot in the runoff earlier as counting moved forward.

Raman’s rise to second place comes after days in which Pratt had held the runner-up position. The Los Angeles City mayoral primary, held on June 2, used vote totals that took time to finalize as mail ballots were processed across Los Angeles County. The remaining vote count narrowed a contest that stayed close for nearly a week, with the number-two slot determined only after additional ballots were tallied.

By Monday evening, published tallies reported Bass at 34.3% of the vote, followed by Raman at 28.6%, and Pratt at 25.8%, with an estimated 148,100 votes countywide still outstanding at the time of the latest reporting. In raw vote totals reported at the time, Raman led Pratt by 21,819 votes, 229,576 to 207,757, as of officials’ updated counts.

Raman’s campaign characterized the results as an opportunity for voters dissatisfied with City Hall to join her effort, according to reporting that quoted her statement after the race call. Her remarks described a need to address issues tied to housing costs and city services, and she urged supporters to participate in the general election campaign.

Bass’s campaign also issued a response after Raman moved into the runoff position. A statement attributed to Douglas Herman, a strategist for Bass, said a campaign against Raman was something Bass was looking forward to, framing the contest as an extension of Bass’s reelection effort.

The next step is the November election, scheduled for Nov. 3, where Bass and Raman will face each other for the mayor’s office. The runner-up slot is the key legal threshold that determines which candidate advances from a crowded primary field under the city’s runoff system, and the decision hinges on the final certified vote totals that follow all ballot processing and reconciliation.