(AFP) – Voters in Los Angeles will settle a surprisingly competitive mayoral race in Tuesday’s midterm vote, a bitter showdown between two progressive women of color who were once allies. Nithya Raman, an 11th-hour entrant against Democratic incumbent Karen Bass, has generated significant momentum against the 73-year-old political veteran, whose leadership has sowed anger on a wide range of issues including homelessness and wildfire response.
Raman, who belongs to the Democratic Socialists of America, has gotten a boost from voters fed up with the soaring cost of living and the Democratic establishment—forces that last year fueled New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s election win. People are “dissatisfied” with the “broken status quo” of Los Angeles, the 45-year-old city council member said at a festive campaign event aimed at Latino voters. “We are worse off in this city than we were four years ago before Karen Bass became our mayor,” Raman told AFP, citing affordability, homelessness, and faltering basic services like road repair. “I’m asking Angelenos to dream bigger.”
– ‘Anyone’s game’ –
Whoever wins city hall will be thrust onto a global stage, as Los Angeles prepares to host the 2028 Summer Olympics. Bass has decades of government experience and has never lost an election, but also has faced heavy criticism. She was abroad in Ghana as part of a presidential delegation when deadly wildfires erupted in early 2025. Her absence proved to be a political misstep that has haunted her. “She’s going to wear that for the rest of her life,” said urban policy analyst Peter Dreier of California’s Occidental College.
Still, Bass has drawn support from traditional corners and has a fundraising lead. She and Raman were once allies, with comparable stances on most issues. Raman even previously endorsed Bass for a second term before unveiling a shock challenge against her under the slogan “a city that works.” Bass has criticized Raman, an Ivy League-educated urban planner, as difficult. According to the most recent polling, the candidates are in a dead heat at 40 percent each of likely voters, with 19 percent undecided. “This is truly anyone’s game,” said Sara Sadhwani, a political scientist at Pomona College. If Raman wins, “she is riding a wave of clear frustration with the establishment and status quo,” Sadhwani added.
– Mamdani of the West? –
Raman made history in 2020 as the first candidate backed by the DSA—a group that has buoyed a new generation of candidates into state and local offices nationwide—to win a seat on the Los Angeles city council. Observers have drawn obvious comparisons between Raman and Mamdani: both millennials, both South Asian, both born abroad, and both DSA-affiliated. But the similarities end there, political analysts told AFP, not least when it comes to Mamdani’s extraordinary communication skills. And while Mamdani came up through the DSA ranks as both an activist and a legislator, Raman’s affiliation has been far shakier.
“For Nithya to align herself with the local DSA chapter was a bit of a matter of convenience,” Dreier said. Raman has said she initially joined the group because of its work on tenant protections, but her divergence from their agenda over the years has created rifts. The local chapter ultimately endorsed her for mayor, a backing that came with legions of door-knockers talking to voters on her behalf. “DSA was essential to her initial ascension into politics, and they very well may be essential to her potential success for this election as well,” Sadhwani said.
– ‘Rebuild trust’ –
Advocates on the left see Raman’s candidacy as part of the effort to make American cities into test beds of progressive politics. That starts with the nuts and bolts, said Justine Gonzalez, who works in nonprofit advocacy for schools. “We need to rebuild trust with people, and show them that LA can do the basic things,” the 37-year-old said at Raman’s event. “If we can’t fill potholes, if we can’t keep lights on, how the hell are we going to solve homelessness and the housing crisis?”
When it comes to Bass, Gonzalez said, “I haven’t seen enough progress, and I’ve heard a lot of excuses.” “Why not try someone else with a different vision?”
– Maggy DONALDSON
© 2024 AFP
