Bass concedes as Raman wins Los Angeles mayor's race, AP confirms, in the first ouster of an incumbent in nearly 21 years

The Los Angeles mayoral race is settled: incumbent Mayor Karen Bass conceded publicly on Thursday morning, November 5, and the Associated Press called the race for Councilmember Nithya Raman that afternoon. Raman will become the city's first South Asian mayor and the first challenger to defeat an incumbent mayor since 2005.

Latest count: Raman 52.70 percent, ahead by 47,253 votes

In the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk's Thursday afternoon update, Raman had 460,772 votes (52.70 percent) to Bass's 413,519 (47.30 percent), a lead of 47,253 votes, with about 642,000 ballots still to be counted countywide. Election forecaster Decision Desk HQ had already projected a Raman win on Wednesday afternoon, when she led by 26,124 votes. The results remain uncertified; the Registrar will post daily updates until certification on November 27, and ballots postmarked on Election Day and received within seven days will still be counted.

Raman's platform: triple homebuilding, replace the police chief

Raman, 45, is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America. First elected to the City Council in 2020, she represents the Fourth District, including Los Feliz, Silver Lake, Hollywood Hills, Sherman Oaks, Studio City and Encino. She campaigned on affordability and housing, promising to triple annual homebuilding by speeding up permitting, and has said she will replace Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell once in office. Bass was sworn in as Los Angeles' 43rd mayor in December 2022, the city's first woman mayor.

Other preliminary results the same day

In other preliminary results the same day, Sheriff Robert Luna led challenger Alex Villanueva by about 68.95 percent, and in the city attorney race Marissa Roy led John McKinney by about 66.53 percent. The next mayor will oversee preparations for the 2028 Olympic Games, coordinating city resources for an expected 15 million visitors.