Indian-American Nithya Raman Leads Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass Ahead of Televised Debate
WASHINGTON — Indian-American Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman will face Mayor Karen Bass on Tuesday in the only live televised debate of the city’s mayoral race, entering the event with an 11-point lead in a recent poll as a significant share of voters remain undecided.
The debate comes three weeks before the November 3 election, with mail-in ballots already distributed to voters.
The candidates are expected to address homelessness, housing affordability, public safety, economic development and preparations for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, according to LAist.
A recent survey by the University of California, Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies, co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times, found Raman leading Bass among likely voters, 39% to 28%, while 33% remained undecided.
The online survey of 2,150 likely Los Angeles voters was conducted September 15-20, before mail-in ballots were distributed, and had a margin of error of approximately 3 percentage points.
Raman held an even larger advantage among likely Latino voters, leading Bass 45% to 21%, with 34% undecided.
Bass has challenged the poll’s findings, saying she does not consider Raman the frontrunner, according to Fox 11 Los Angeles.
Both candidates are Democrats and were longtime political allies before Raman entered the mayoral race in February on the final day of candidate filing.
Raman had publicly endorsed Bass earlier in the year but reversed course weeks later, launching her own campaign and arguing that Los Angeles “can’t seem to manage the basics.”
Raman finished second behind Bass in the June primary, defeating former reality television personality Spencer Pratt for a place in the November runoff.
Many voters who supported Pratt have yet to decide between the remaining candidates, contributing to the unusually large undecided bloc.
The campaign has grown increasingly contentious, with recent disagreements centering on the Los Angeles Police Department and the city’s approach to public safety.
Raman, 45, was born in India and moved to the United States as a child. She was first elected to the Los Angeles City Council in 2020.
If elected, she would become the first Indian-American mayor of Los Angeles, the nation’s second-largest city.
Her campaign is among several bids by Indian-American candidates seeking historic victories in the November 3 elections.
Los Angeles conducts nonpartisan mayoral elections, with the top two candidates advancing to a November runoff if no contender receives a majority in the June primary. (Source: IANS)
