According to Decision Desk HQ, City Councilmember Nithya Raman, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, is projected to unseat Mayor Karen Bass in the Los Angeles mayoral election. As of the county registrar's Wednesday afternoon update, Raman led with 405,193 votes, or 51.7%, compared to Bass's 379,069 votes, or 48.3%, a margin of 26,124 votes.
Raman's campaign focused on issues such as building housing faster, cutting homelessness, and bringing back entertainment jobs. She has also stated her intention to fire LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell, which has drawn criticism from the police union. The union's leader, Jamie McBride, warned that if Raman becomes mayor, the city should prepare for a significant exodus of police officers.
The outcome of the election is not yet final, as the Associated Press has not called the race and roughly two-thirds of the expected vote has been counted, with about 842,000 ballots remaining to be tallied. Bass has not conceded the election, and her campaign declined to comment on the current state of the race.
The county registrar will continue to post updates daily through November 13, and the county is expected to certify the results by November 27.