Incumbent Karen Bass and City Councilwoman Nithya Raman were in a virtual dead heat Tuesday evening in their race for the Los Angeles mayor’s office, with the winner likely to remain unknown for at least a few days as ballots continue to be tallied.
Early figures released by the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s Office Tuesday night showed Bass with a narrow lead, collecting 300,155 votes, or 50.56%, compared to 293,524 votes, or 49.44%, for Raman.
The first batches of results represented a tally of all vote-by-mail ballots that were returned and processed prior to Tuesday, along with in-person ballots cast at vote centers prior to election day.
With ballot-counting expected to continue through the night, the week and even the coming weeks, the winner of the race could remain unknown well into November.
Many pundits speculated, however, that although Bass took an early lead Tuesday, her narrow margin does not bode well for the incumbent. They noted that Raman’s primary support base of younger voters tends to cast ballots closer to election day, she is likely to overtake Bass as the vote-counting continues.
Bass, however, remained defiant as she spoke to her supporters in Hollywood Tuesday night. She hailed Democrat victories across the country and spoke positively about the future of Los Angeles.
“Four years ago, you gave me the honor of a lifetime to serve as the mayor of the city that raised me, the city my parents chose to build a life in, and the city I have spend my entire life fighting for,” Bass said. “And every single day, I have carried that responsibility with me.”
She touted her work to recover from last year’s wildfires, to oppose federal immigration raids in the city and to reduce homelessness.
“I have seen communities come together to stand up for one another, and I have seen people refuse to give up on the city, even when challenges before us seemed overwhelming,” Bass said. “That is the Los Angeles I know. That is the city that I love, and this is the Los Angeles that I will never stop fighting for.”
At her election night party at Griffith Park, Raman maintained a hopeful outlook as ballots remained to be counted. She emphasized that voters demanded change.
“They are angry about a broken status quo and the politicians who failed them over and over again. But change feels good, doesn’t it,” Raman said. “We have so much to celebrate tonight here in Los Angeles. This election is about change too, a city that was engineered over the last few decades to resist change, and the people right here, who said enough is enough, before for too long our broken and unjust status quo has convinced Angelenos that this is the best that we can do.”
“Our city hall became a place where we became so used to saying `no,’ we forgot how to say `yes,”’ Raman said.
Raman thanked her supporters for refusing to give up and supporting her campaign.
“You saw hopelessness and you chose hope because you know that Los Angeles is a city hope in its soil, a city, a city built on dreams and ambition and a refusal to accept the status quo. The city is the most incredible place in the world,” Raman added.
Bass, who is seeking a second term leading the second-largest city in the nation, had been running neck-and-neck with Raman in terms of voter support late in the campaign, according to a UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll, co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times, released last week.
The poll found that both mayoral candidates had 40% support from likely L.A. voters, with 19% of voters still undecided.
For Bass, the poll came as a positive sign after a September poll conducted by the institute had Raman ahead with an 11-percentage-point lead, with support from 39% of likely voters compared to Bass, who had 28%.
In recent weeks, Bass and political action committees, which are supposed to be independent from the candidates, have attacked Raman. Those attacks focused on public safety, specifically Raman’s call to oust Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell, and portrayals of the councilwoman as inexperienced to run such a large city.
Raman faced further scrutiny in early October after her campaign team shared a video that featured the councilwoman and a leftist influencer. In the video, Raman urged people to “stop fascist liars,” followed by photos of Bass and McDonnell.
During a televised mayoral debate, Bass pressed Raman over that video. More issues followed after Raman said the LAPD was at a “gold standard” under former LAPD Chief Daryl Gates.
Gates oversaw the department when LAPD officers beat and arrested Rodney King on March 3, 1991. In the aftermath, residents criticized the department and called for Gates to resign. Then-Mayor Tom Bradley urged Gates to resign, which he refused to do.
Gates later announced his intention to resign on July 13, 1991, but he wouldn’t step down until nearly a full year later.
On April 29, 1992, rioting erupted in Los Angeles following the acquittal of four LAPD officers — three white, one Latino — accused of beating King.
The 1992 L.A. Riots ended six days after the arrival of California’s National Guard and federal officers. Gates left the LAPD on June 28, 1992, and was replaced by Willie Williams.
Bass accused Raman of not understanding the city’s history and being an outsider. Raman defended herself, saying she was referring to the LAPD’s Special Order 40 that was implemented under Gates’ tenure. The directive mandates noncooperation related to immigration enforcement and prohibits city officers from stopping residents regarding immigration status.
Raman later apologized for her comments.
Meanwhile, Raman has said she is running for mayor to fix a “broken city” under Bass.
Raman has criticized Bass for leading efforts on budget-breaking contracts and projects, such as a billion-dollar agreement to raise salaries for police officers, and a costly effort to modernize the downtown convention center.
Raman has shared plans to improve basic city services, bolster housing production, reduce the cost of living, and support the entertainment industry, among other issues.
Bass is asking voters for four more years to continue progress on homelessness, housing, affordability issues, public safety, and other issues. Her campaign has taken more aggressive tactics in an attempt to dissuade voters from electing Raman, who Bass says is “not ready for prime time.”
The two have sparred on issues such as homelessness, public safety and housing.
Both candidates are going after undecided voters as Election Day approaches.
According to the Berkeley poll, Bass is receiving more support among voters who backed reality television star Spencer Pratt, compared to Raman, who is more progressive and received support from the Democratic Socialists of America local chapter in L.A. In the June election, Raman had overtaken Pratt and moved on to challenge Bass in November.
On the other hand, Raman has more support from younger voters, while Bass has more backing from older residents. The two have been competing over Black and Latino voters, and support from the regular Democratic-leaning base.