New Mayoral Challenger In Los Angeles Draws Mamdani Comparisons

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles’ political world was uniformly floored when Nithya Raman announced her eleventh-hour campaign for mayor. Maybe they shouldn’t have been.

The progressive councilmember who had been a longtime ally of Mayor Karen Bass had, in recent months, become increasingly exasperated with what she saw as dysfunctional city government — and more vocal about it.

“I didn't frame it in the context of entering into a mayoral campaign,” Raman told Playbook, “but I have talked about my frustrations with the city to a lot of people … I don’t yell and shout but I have made my frustrations very, very clear.”

Apparently, this was news to Bass. The mayor learned about Raman’s plan just before the surprise announcement became public; later that day, Bass said she was “flabbergasted,” according to journalist David Dayen.

So was practically everyone else in town. For the last year, most of the attention on this race fixated on very public will-they-or-won’t-they teases from Rick Caruso, the billionaire developer, and County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, who both eventually decided not to run. Raman, meanwhile, kept her deliberations to a very small circle of family and confidantes. With the filing deadline rapidly approaching, she began seriously mulling a bid last week and did not make her final decision until Friday evening, after Horvath announced she’d be running for reelection instead.

Now, Raman is building a campaign apparatus on the fly, with most of her staff and strategy still TBD. Still, her candidacy started with an enviable earned media jolt, given her immediate status as Bass’ most formidable opponent and unmissable parallels to a certain New York City mayor.

Raman certainly isn’t dissuading pundits from linking her to Zohran Mamdani, the nation’s newest political phenom. The two have a lot in common, including their affiliation with the Democratic Socialists of America and, as she noted, their shared South Asian ethnic background.

But there are key differences between the two politicians, and the cities where they live. First, while Raman’s first City Council win in 2020 heralded the new ascendance of DSA and progressives broadly in Los Angeles, her relationship with the left has been rocky at times.

“Nithya is more of a known brand than Zohran was. He was more of a blank slate. Nithya has more of a record,” said Mike Bonin, a former councilmember and fellow progressive who now leads the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at Cal State LA. “It’s always harder to be the progressive savior when you’ve been in office.”

Raman also hails from a markedly different political climate than Mamdani. Part of what made her decision so stunning is because it is so rare in Los Angeles; it’s been more than 20 years since a sitting councilmember has challenged an incumbent mayor. That’s a stark difference from New York City’s aggressive electoral culture.

“There's more of a confrontational political style. It’s okay to take a shot across the bow, throw your hat in the ring and have competitive elections,” said Rob Quan, a longtime LA City Hall watchdog. “We don’t really have that here.”

Unsurprisingly, Raman’s launch unnerved many in and around City Hall. Some insiders view Raman’s campaign as a show of disloyalty, given that Bass endorsed her in a competitive reelection bid last year. Even her ideological allies aren’t immediately jumping to her side.

“While I recognize Nithya’s contributions to the city, I was caught off-guard by her last-minute maneuver, and I continue to strongly support Mayor Bass,” said Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez, a member of the progressive bloc, in a statement. “Even when we disagree, I’ve never doubted Mayor Bass and her long-standing commitment to the community.”

Raman is well aware that she’s ruffled feathers, and she acknowledges that her move may affect the relationships in City Hall that are so crucial for getting anything done.

“I wouldn’t have wanted to jeopardize that in any way,” she said, “if I didn’t feel like there’s no other option.”

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