Nithya Raman defeats Mayor Karen Bass in Los Angeles
City Council member Nithya Raman beat incumbent Mayor Karen Bass in the Los Angeles mayoral election, and Bass conceded on Thursday as later counts widened Raman's lead.
Los Angeles City Council member Nithya Raman has defeated Mayor Karen Bass in the race to lead the nation's second-largest city, and Bass conceded on Thursday.
With about three-quarters of the expected votes counted on Thursday morning, Raman led with roughly 52% to Bass's 48%, about 429,000 votes to about 395,000. Later tallies released Thursday pushed Raman's share to about 52.7% to 47.3%, or roughly 461,000 votes to 414,000, according to county figures reported by local outlets. Bass said she would work for a smooth transition. Raman is due to be sworn in on Dec. 8.
Raman, who is part of the Democratic Socialists of America, represents a Los Angeles district on the city council. Her win over a sitting mayor came in the same midterm election that handed Democrats control of Congress, and it drew national attention because she challenged an incumbent from her own party.
Bass, a former six-term member of Congress, finished first in the June primary with about 34% of the vote, with Raman second at about 29%. In the November runoff Raman argued that the city was broken on homelessness, housing and public safety, while Bass cast her challenger as unready for the job. Bass had not previously lost an election for public office.
The Associated Press and other national news organizations projected Raman the winner on Thursday. Votes were still being counted when Bass conceded, so the final percentages could still shift slightly, but the mayor's concession closed the race politically.
This summary is original reporting by tehworldnews, written after checking the facts against several major international news outlets and official statements.