Incumbent
Los Angeles mayoral election: first round winner
$987.6K
JUN 3, 2026
Candidate standings
Live market pricing for the leading candidates in this election.
Overview
Current roleCouncil Member
PartyDemocratic
Political ideologyDemocratic Socialist
GenderFemale
LocationCalifornia
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BackgroundUrban planner
EducationHarvard University (BS)
Notable personal detailsNithya Raman is an American urban planner and politician who represents Los Angeles City Council District 4. She holds degrees from Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and has worked in planning and community homelessness advocacy. Raman was elected to the City Council in 2020 and won reelection in 2024.
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Positions
Economy & Taxes
Supports taxing high-value real estate transactions (Measure ULA) to fund housing and homelessness programs and has backed increased city budget allocations for homelessness and affordable housing. Has sought targeted exemptions to preserve development while maintaining the overall revenue measure.
Healthcare
Supports expanding public health services and access—particularly by bringing medical, mental health, and behavioral health services to city-funded interim housing and strengthening reimbursement and funding for care for low-income and vulnerable populations. Advocates using Medi-Cal and other public funding to support street medicine and board-and-care facilities and has provided grants and introduced city resolutions to increase services for unhoused and senior residents.
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Immigration & Border
Supports codifying Los Angeles sanctuary protections that prohibit use of city resources, property, personnel, or data for federal immigration enforcement and opposes ICE raids and mass deportations. Advocates legal and municipal protections to keep immigrant communities safe and limit city cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Has sponsored and introduced ordinance-level legislation to enshrine those sanctuary policies into city law.
Abortion & Reproductive Rights
Supports codifying the right to abortion into law, opposes bans that restrict access, and has advanced local measures to make Los Angeles a safe-haven for people seeking abortion care. Has proposed city ordinances to prevent use of city resources to assist out-of-state investigations and sought funding to subsidize care for out-of-state patients.
Climate & Energy
Supports aggressive decarbonization policies for Los Angeles including zero-carbon requirements for new buildings, rapid transition to zero-emission vehicles, and targets to phase out fossil-fuel use in ports and city fleets with a goal of 100% clean/zero-emission energy. Has sponsored and secured passage of local motions and ordinances to advance building electrification and citywide decarbonization. Endorsed by local environmental organizations for her climate agenda.
Public Safety & Guns
Supports reimagining public safety by shifting responsibility for nonviolent calls to unarmed civilian responders, building alternative crisis response teams, and reducing routine armed policing so officers can focus on violent crime. Has voted against a large LAPD contract citing fiscal limits on building alternative responses and introduced motions to develop a multi-year plan to expand unarmed response models and traffic enforcement alternatives.
News
Nithya Raman is in the news because she is running in a very tight Los Angeles mayoral race. Recent polls put her close behind Karen Bass and ahead of or near Spencer Pratt, with no candidate near the majority needed to avoid a runoff. The race is drawing extra attention from campaign attacks, celebrity endorsements, and a viral stunt outside Raman’s home. The main question now is whether Raman can finish in the top two and advance to the runoff.
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New updates coming soon
We're monitoring and will update when new data impacts the race.
- Polls
- Endorsements
- Fundraising