Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is facing mounting anxiety within her own camp as allies quietly warn that Democratic Socialists of America-backed City Councilmember Nithya Raman may now hold the upper hand in the race for City Hall.
According to The New York Post, several Bass supporters and campaign insiders, speaking anonymously to POLITICO, have begun to sound the alarm over what they see as Ramans growing momentum, particularly after the challenger secured endorsements from heavyweight labor groups such as the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America and Unite Here Local 11, a union known for its formidable ground game. Those are serious unions with people and money. That was a bit surprising, one Bass ally admitted, while another was more direct, conceding, I think you have to give Nithya the advantage. I really do. I think we could turn that around but the energy is with Nithya, and its unfortunate.
That sense of unease, the same ally said, is no longer an occasional gripe but a constant refrain within Bass political circle. I have a version of this assessment or conversation every 30 minutes. People are very worried about it and focused on it.
Bass top strategist, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, has tried to tamp down the panic, insisting that the campaign never expected an easy path to reelection and has been preparing for a close contest from the outset. Weve always known that this was going to be a tight race, and so thats what weve been operating on, and it remains so, she said, adding, But we continue to see the mayor ahead, especially with her base supporters, which is where weve invested a lot of time and energy early on.
The November runoff was locked in after the June primary, where Bass finished with roughly 34% of the vote and Raman trailed closely with about 29%. Another contender, Spencer Pratt, captured approximately 26%, leaving his supporters as a potentially decisive swing bloc in a city where turnout is often low and ideological activists can punch above their weight.
Political strategist Matt Klink told the California Post that the Pratt vote could be pivotal in shaping the final outcome, particularly in more moderate neighborhoods. If the Bass team isnt targeting Pratt voters, especially in the San Fernando Valley, theyre making a mistake of epic proportions, Klink warned.
He argued that Bass cannot afford to assume that disaffected voters will simply break her way in a head-to-head contest with a DSA-aligned challenger. A Bass defeat is still very possible. Bass needs to give Pratt voters a reason to vote against Raman. They need to fear Raman more than they dislike Bass, he added.
Klink, a former Republican consultant who has worked on numerous campaigns, said Pratt has been relentless in his criticism of the incumbent, repeatedly blaming Bass for Los Angeles mounting problems. The mayors challenge, he suggested, is to counter that narrative without alienating voters already skeptical of City Halls performance. Spencer Pratt doesnt like and blames Bass for L.A.s problems. Pratt also says Raman would be a disaster, he added. Bass needs to make that point to Pratt voters: She is not. And time is running out.
The strategist also linked the perception of Ramans momentum to what he described as a conspicuously subdued effort from the mayors reelection operation. The sentiment that Raman has the energy is real, due in large part to the fact that Karen Bass is running a low-activity campaign. While her campaign says they always knew the race would be close, theyre not engaging with voters like it is, he told the Post, expressing hope that Bass team will intensify its efforts with just 50 days remaining before Election Day.
Sensing the need to go on offense, Bass campaign has begun escalating its attacks on Raman, rolling out a dedicated website and social media push branding the councilmember No Show Nithya for her record of missed council votes. The mayors team has also amplified criticism from Councilmember Traci Park, who has faulted Ramans performance in the Pacific Palisades following the devastating 2025 wildfires, a sore point for residents who felt abandoned by progressive leadership during a crisis.
Yet Bass is not entering this fight unburdened; she carries the weight of several controversies from her first term that have eroded public confidence in City Halls competence. Her administration has faced persistent scrutiny over homelessness spending and the troubled operations of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, a bureaucracy conservatives have long criticized as bloated, ineffective, and captive to activist interests rather than taxpayers.
On Tuesday, Bass further inflamed critics by skipping a House Oversight subcommittee hearing examining federally funded homelessness programs, dismissing the proceeding as politically motivated. Chairman Tim Burchett responded by saying he was prepared to consider subpoenas to compel her testimony, a move that could deepen public doubts about transparency and accountability in the citys use of federal dollars.
The January 2025 Palisades and Eaton fires have also remained a potent political liability, with Bass under fire for being out of the city on a presidential delegation trip to Ghana when the blazes erupted. Her subsequent clash with then-LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley became a defining flashpoint of her first term, reinforcing concerns that ideological priorities and national ambitions were taking precedence over basic public safety at home.
Raman, for her part, has seized on these vulnerabilities, making Bass record on homelessness, housing, public services, and the citys response to the fires the centerpiece of her insurgent challenge. In a city already strained by crime, encampments, and spiraling costs of living, that line of attack taps into a broader frustration with progressive governance that promises compassion but often delivers chaos.
Klink argued that the fundamental question of the race may determine its outcome: whether voters see the contest as a verdict on Bass leadership or a choice between two sharply different visions for Los Angeles. If the election is a referendum on Basss leadership, Raman wins. If its a choice between two competing visions, Bass can win but she has to make that case. Shes not doing that now, Klink added, underscoring that unless Bass can clearly contrast her approach with Ramans more radical agenda and reassure skeptical moderates, the city could drift even further left at a moment when many residents are desperate for order, accountability, and a return to basic governance.
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