Incumbent Karen Bass and City Councilwoman Nithya Raman launched their respective campaigns for Los Angeles mayor Tuesday, with the two all but assured of facing off in the November general election.
Bass met with supporters for a news conference downtown, where the mayor said she “won” the primary and will win again in November. The mayor touted the fact that she received the most votes as of Monday’s vote tally, leading the field of 14 candidates with 34% of the vote.
“It’s hard for me to express how much it means for me to have all of you hear, to feel your embrace, to feel your power, and to feel your encouragement because we’re going to have four more years,” Bass said.
Bass also took the opportunity to criticize Raman.
“This November, voters will have a clear choice between myself and Nithya Raman, a difference that is made crystal clear because we have been changing LA. While some people, including the councilwoman, have fought to take LA backwards, they are for the status quo,” Bass added.
Bass touted what she called her accomplishments in addressing homelessness and encampments, approving policies to streamline the production of housing units, and addressing public safety.
“We have a long way to go, but after decades of homelessness increasing in LA, we changed the direction and brought it down two years in a row — that has never been done before,” Bass said. “But while I’m fighting for change by moving people indoors from encampments, Nithya Raman votes repeatedly to allow encampments near schools.”
While Raman did not have an in-person event Tuesday, his campaign posted a 23-second video on social media.
“A few months ago, this campaign was a long shot, but what we did have was a vision for Los Angeles, a place where working people can build a future. That is the vision that we have for Los Angeles,” Raman said in the video.
The leftist councilwoman declared victory Monday in the battle for second place after receiving 29% of the votes, placing her well ahead of former reality television personality Spencer Pratt, who fell behind with nearly 26% of the votes.
Pratt initially held a solid lead over Raman, but as the vote-counting continued from last Tuesday’s primary, the city councilwoman steadily gained ground, finally overtaking Pratt on Sunday.
Sunday’s voting update showed Raman with a roughly 3,000-vote lead, but Monday’s updated vote tally showed Raman’s lead over Pratt ballooning to 21,819 votes.
Raman leads by nearly three-percentage points. As of Monday, the councilwoman had received 229,576 votes, or 28.55%, with Pratt trailing behind at 207,757 votes, or 25.83%, according to the latest vote tally by the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk.
The top two finishers advance to the November election.
“For too long, City Hall has prioritized giving political advantage to powerful interests that fund elections. Meanwhile, working people pay the price in higher rents, depleted services, and a city that has stopped working for them,” Raman said in a statement. “If you’re as frustrated by the broken status quo as I am, I hope you’ll join our movement to build a city that works for everyone.”
