Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and City Councilmember Nithya Raman are headed to a runoff in November after Raman overtook influencer and developer Spencer Pratt for second place as ballots from the June 2 primary continued to be counted. Bass led the field with about 37% of the vote, well short of the majority she would have needed to win re-election outright and avoid a second round.
The race for the second runoff spot was unusually tight. Raman, who represents a district on the city council, narrowly trailed Pratt in early returns before pulling ahead as additional mail and provisional ballots were tallied, a shift that news organizations projected would hold as the count progressed.
Under the rules of the nonpartisan primary, a candidate must clear 50% to win the office in the first round. With Bass falling short of that threshold, the top two finishers advance to the general election runoff, which is scheduled for November 3.
Bass, a former member of Congress who was first elected mayor in 2022, now faces a months-long campaign to defend her record against a challenger from the city's progressive wing. Raman has built a base among voters seeking a sharper focus on housing, homelessness and tenant protections in the nation's second-largest city.
The contest unfolded against a backdrop of pressing local challenges, from the cost of housing and persistent homelessness to public safety and the recovery from recent wildfire seasons. Those issues are expected to dominate the runoff campaign over the summer and fall.
The primary was part of a busy June 2 ballot in California that also featured a closely watched race for governor and a number of congressional contests. Slow ballot counting in Los Angeles County, a routine feature of California elections, left the second runoff position unresolved for several days after polls closed.
For Bass, advancing as the clear front-runner offers a measure of momentum, but the failure to win outright signals an electorate still weighing her tenure. For Raman, edging into the runoff represents a breakthrough that sets up a one-on-one contest with the incumbent.
The November runoff will determine who leads Los Angeles into the second half of the decade, including the city's preparations to host events surrounding the 2028 Summer Olympics.