With voters set to cast ballots on Tuesday, Los Angeles's mayoral race is shaping up to be one of the city's most closely watched contests in years. Incumbent Karen Bass is seeking a second term, but she faces a competitive field that spans the city's political spectrum, from progressive city councilmember Nithya Raman to reality TV star-turned-political commentator Spencer Pratt.
A late-May poll from the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies, co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times, showed the race tightening significantly ahead of Election Day. Bass led with 26 percent support among likely voters, followed closely by Raman at 25 percent and Pratt at 22 percent, putting all three candidates within striking distance of one another. The survey suggested that while Bass retains a slight edge, voter frustration over issues including homelessness, public safety, and the city's overall direction has created an opening for challengers.
Under L.A.’s nonpartisan primary system, the top two finishers in the June 2 primary will advance to a Nov. 3 runoff, unless one candidate wins more than 50 percent of the vote outright.
And the stakes are high. The next mayor will oversee a roughly $14 billion budget and help shape the future of the nation’s second-largest city at a pivotal moment. Among the biggest challenges ahead are the homelessness crisis, recovery from the 2025 Palisades Fire, and preparations for the 2028 Olympics. The race is also being watched far beyond L.A., as cities across the country grapple with housing affordability, public safety, climate disasters, and questions about how Democratic leaders govern through overlapping crises.
Here’s a closer look at who’s on the ballot.
Who is running for mayor of Los Angeles?
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass
Karen Bass, the city’s current incumbent, made history when she was sworn in as the city’s 43rd mayor in December 2022, becoming the first woman and second Black person (after Tom Bradley) to hold the office. But Bass was already a major force in California politics long before City Hall: She spent more than a decade representing Los Angeles in Congress from 2011 to 2022, and she previously became the first Black woman to lead a state legislative body when she served as Speaker of the California Assembly from 2008 to 2010.
As mayor, Bass has made tackling homelessness the centerpiece of her administration. She's touted the success of her Inside Safe program (which aims to move people off the streets and clear encampments) with helping to drive declines in street homelessness amid the city’s lowest crime rate in 60 years. The effort has drawn high-profile support, including from former Vice President Kamala Harris, who endorsed Bass’s reelection bid, calling her "the leader Los Angeles needs right now."
But Bass has also faced growing criticism over the city’s handling of the 2025 Palisades Fire, including scrutiny over the fact that she was in Ghana while entire neighborhoods were burning. (Bass was part of a four-member U.S. delegation invited by former President Biden to attend the inauguration of Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama.) She has also denied allegations that she later pressured the Fire Department to soften a report on the city’s response.
Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman
Councilmember Nithya Raman Raman has emerged as one of the leading progressive voices in Los Angeles politics since relocating to the city more than a decade ago. In 2020, the Harvard- and MIT-trained policy expert became the first Democratic Socialists of America-backed candidate elected to the City Council, representing District 4 from Silver Lake to Sherman Oaks. She won reelection in 2024.
Raman entered the mayoral race relatively late, launching her campaign just hours before the filing deadline and only weeks after endorsing Bass’ reelection bid — a striking shift for two politicians long viewed as allies. Raman backed Bass during her 2022 run for mayor, while Bass later supported Raman through her difficult 2024 reelection campaign. The two also collaborated closely on housing and homelessness efforts before becoming rivals in this year’s race.
Explaining her last-minute decision to run, Raman pointed to what she sees as a lack of urgency from city leadership. “I feel an urgency and a vision to change and address those issues that I don’t feel is reflected in our leadership right now,” she said during a forum on Tuesday, where she and Bass traded blows.
Raman's candidacy has already drawn comparisons to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, another DSA-backed politician seen as part of a rising progressive movement reshaping big-city politics. But like many progressive leaders in L.A., Raman has also faced pushback from parts of the left — particularly on housing, where she’s backed building more homes and revisiting the so-called “mansion tax” on high-end property sales. (Opponents worry those moves could benefit developers and weaken funding for affordable housing and homelessness programs.)
Former reality star Spencer Pratt
Spencer Pratt may be best known for MTV’s The Hills and its revival, New Beginnings, but he’s now parlaying his internet fame into a bid to be the next mayor of LA.
The longtime influencer, who has more than a million Instagram followers, has emerged as one of Bass’s most outspoken critics, using social media to channel frustration over crime, homelessness, city leadership, and the aftermath of the wildfires.
After losing his home in the fires, Pratt told NBC News that it had been “stolen by criminal negligence” and publicly called on Bass to resign — a moment that sharply raised his political profile and helped launch his first run for public office. Since entering the race, Pratt has leaned heavily into his outsider status, framing himself as a disruptor willing to say what career politicians won’t. (Sound familiar?)
His candidacy has also attracted attention from high-profile conservative media figures and allies of President Trump. Pratt has already picked up endorsements from podcast host Joe Rogan, conservative commentator Benny Johnson, and Trump administration official Richard Grenell — underscoring how the race is increasingly pulling in national political and cultural attention.
Others in the mix
The crowded field goes between these top-polling names. Other candidates include Asaad Alnajjar, a city engineering manager; Presbyterian minister Rae Huang; Grammy-nominated songwriter Tish Hyman; attorney Andrew Kim; tech entrepreneur Adam Miller; enterprise architect Andrej Selivra; community activist Juanita Lopez; Roblox streamer Nelson Cheng; and small business owner Bryant Acosta.
