Nithya Raman will face incumbent Karen Bass in November's mayoral runoff for Los Angeles after narrowly clearing Spencer Pratt in a race that has upended local politics and surprised observers who watched the reality TV personality mount an unexpectedly competitive campaign.
With 28.5% of the vote as of late Monday, the progressive city council member secured the second spot ahead of the Republican, who captured 25.8%, according to the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk. The race for the runoff spot remained too close to call for nearly a week after election night.
Raman's path to the general election marks a remarkable reversal from primary night, when she appeared prepared to finish third. She told supporters then that "many thousands of votes will be counted in the days ahead, and we may not get an answer we like." Instead, late-counted votes pushed her past Pratt into a November general election that will pit her against Bass.
"I'm incredibly honored that voters have given us the opportunity to advance to the general election for Mayor of Los Angeles," Raman said in a statement. "Now our fight for a healthier, safer, more affordable, and more joyful Los Angeles continues."
Bass, seeking her second term as leader of the nation's second largest city, qualified for the runoff on primary night with enough votes to advance. She seized on Raman's qualification to signal her confidence heading into November. "A campaign against Nithya Raman, who allows encampments near schools and cuts the police force, is one Mayor Bass looks forward to winning," said Douglas Herman, her campaign strategist.
The matchup sets up a clash between the incumbent and a onetime ally. Raman stunned the Los Angeles political establishment in February when she entered the race just hours before the filing deadline, only weeks after publicly endorsing Bass for re-election. The move signaled a shift in local progressive politics and opened the door for challengers to the mayor's left.
Author James Rodriguez: "Raman's surge past a viral celebrity candidate shows that shoe-leather politics and late counting can still trump the attention economy, at least in municipal races where voters pay closer attention than the national media assumes."
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