Nithya Raman, who was born in India, has been elected mayor of Los Angeles, the second-largest city in the US. Incumbent Karen Bass conceded on Thursday, November 5 (US time), two days after the election. "I have called Councilmember Nithya Raman to congratulate her on her victory," Bass said. The Associated Press had projected Raman the winner shortly before.

The count (Thursday morning)

  • Nithya Raman: 429,450 votes (52.1%)
  • Karen Bass: 394,796 votes (47.9%)
  • Lead: 34,654 votes. Counting continues.

Who she is

Raman, born in Kerala, represents District 4 on the Los Angeles City Council. An urban planner by training, she studied at Harvard and MIT. She overtook Republican Spencer Pratt in June's primary. She describes herself as a democratic socialist.

Telangana Today reports she will be the first mayor of South Asian descent in Los Angeles history. With New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, both of the two largest US cities now have mayors of South Asian descent.