Who is Nithya Raman? India-born Nithya Raman locked in tight race with ex-boss Karen Bass in LA mayoral election
Nithya Raman is a progressive leader and urban planner who made history in 2020 as the first South Asian woman elected to the LA City Council
Indian American councilwoman Nithya Raman is locked in a remarkably close mayoral race against incumbent Mayor Karen Bass in Los Angeles. Initial vote counts from the tight Democratic contest indicate a razor-thin margin, with final results expected to take several days as day-of ballots are tallied. Raman, a progressive leader with a background in urban planning and homeless advocacy, previously made history as the first South Asian woman elected to the LA City Council.
Indian American councilwoman Nithya Raman is locked in a remarkably close mayoral race against incumbent Mayor Karen Bass in Los Angeles. Initial vote counts from the tight Democratic contest indicate a razor-thin margin, with final results expected to take several days as day-of ballots are tallied. Raman, a progressive leader with a background in urban planning and homeless advocacy, previously made history as the first South Asian woman elected to the LA City Council.
Indian American councilwoman Nithya Raman is locked in a remarkably close mayoral race against incumbent Mayor Karen Bass in Los Angeles. Initial vote counts from the tight Democratic contest indicate a razor-thin margin, with final results expected to take several days as day-of ballots are tallied. Raman, a progressive leader with a background in urban planning and homeless advocacy, previously made history as the first South Asian woman elected to the LA City Council.
In a tight Democrat vs Democrat race, Indian American Nithya Raman is locked in a keen contest with her former boss Karen Bass for the post of Mayor of Los Angeles, which is the second largest city in the United States.
Karen Bass, who is currently the mayor of LA, hopes to retain her post for another term.
Raman, who is currently a councilwoman, appeared to lead in the poll surveys ahead of the election. She also won endorsement from the Democratic Socialists of America. She advanced to the mayoral runoff after a late-surge campaign in the June primary.
After around 5,00,000 votes were counted, the Bass was tallied at 50.7 per cent while Raman was at 49.3 per cent. Analysts predict that the final tally could take a few days as the margin is so close to take a call.
Most of the initial votes counted on Tuesday night were mail-in ballots. Analyst believe that once the day-of votes are counted, Raman could see a rise in share of votes as her core base of young voters are touted to go to polls on the election day.
Who is Nithya Raman?
Nithya Raman, who was born in Kerala on July 28, 1981, immigrated to the US with her family when she was six. She grew up in Louisiana and Massachusetts. She completed her bachelors in social studies from Harvard and earned a masters in urban planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Her notable works include coordinating with a civic-data group focused on sanitation for slum dwellers. She then moved to LA, co-founding the SELAH Neighbourhood Homeless Coalition. She also served as the executive director of Time's Up Entertainment.
A progressive voice, she has aggressively pushed for affordable housing, tenant protection and rent control caps. She also advocates for improving Hollywood infrastructure and to set up a robust, full-time city film office to tackle production job exodus.
In 2020, she won a historic upset, becoming the first South Asian and first Asian-American woman ever elected to the LA City Council. She was re-elected to a second term in 2024.