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WESTSIDE - They talk alike and campaign alike, but are Karen Bass and Nithya Raman really just two of a kind?
With celebrity conservative and political novelty Spencer Pratt eliminated and out of the race, just how do Bass and Raman distinguish themselves to an electorate seemingly seeking fundamental change in this race for Los Angeles mayor?
For Bass, the 72-year-old political septuagenarian and Raman, who will turn 45 next month, is a race in some respects for the soul and direction of a Democratic Party in search of itself.
For Raman, her political calculation of entering the race late and withdrawing her support of the incumbent, the right play at the end of the day?
And does Los Angeles follow the leftward bound politics of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, or do traditional liberals like Bass survive a second term?
The numbers suggest a clear lurch to the left, as Bass ran roughly 10 points behind her 2022 totals against the hyper-funded billionaire developer Rick Caruso, as Raman surged in the campaign's final weeks for a second-place finish, just a shade behind Bass, 34%-29% or 292,308 to 247,442, just 45,000 votes.
And while this runoff is more about party direction then solving the current crisis state of this city, issues of homelessness, crime, public safety and quality-of-life, where will those 217,000 individuals who cast votes for Spencer Pratt ultimately prefer, or even vote again?
Bass is the traditional Democratic liberal while Raman is the DSA backed progressive who both have made housing affordability and homelessness central issues, but they come from very different political backgrounds and often appeal to competing demographics of the Los Angeles electorate.
1. Both are Democrats that represent competing political interests.
Both support expanding affordable housing, increasing tenant protections, investing in public services, and addressing homelessness through housing-first solutions rather than primarily enforcement-based approaches like mental health reform and individual sobriety.
2. Both emphasize homelessness as a top city issue.
Bass made homelessness her signature issue upon taking office, declaring a homelessness emergency on her first day as mayor and launching the Inside Safe initiative. Raman first gained citywide prominence as a homelessness advocate before winning a council seat, but solutions have been slow to implement during her term of office.
3. Both support more housing construction.
Each argues that Los Angeles suffers from a severe housing shortage and that the city must build substantially more housing, particularly affordable housing. Neither address the core issue of the cost or timeline to get that housing constructed in a reliable way.
4. Both are activists who are now elected leaders.
Bass founded the Community Coalition in South Los Angeles before entering office. Raman became active through housing and homelessness advocacy before running for City Council. Neither have an executive style resume or record of tackling an issue as complex as rampant homelessness.
Bass spent years building relationships across California politics. She served as Speaker of the California Assembly and later in Congress before becoming mayor. Her governing style tends to focus on negotiation, coalition-building, and slow, incremental progress.
Supporters view her as an experienced problem solver who understands how to navigate government. Critics argue she moves too cautiously and is too tied to existing political institutions. Critics point to her handling of the Palisades wildfires that lacked immediate urgency or action.
Raman: A reformer or just a new kind of progressive?
Raman emerged from outside traditional political circles and was elected after defeating incumbent councilmember David Ryu. Her political identity is tied to government housing reform, and challenging established City Hall practices.
Her supporters see her as a bold reformer willing to take on entrenched interests. Critics argue some of her proposals are ideologically driven, unworkable or insufficiently attentive to neighborhood concerns like her opposition to LA Municipal Code 41.18 that prevented encampments in safe spaces like parks, playgrounds and schools.
The 2026 Mayoral Race in One Thought:
If Bass represents experience, longtime political leadership, and insufficient incremental progress, Raman represents political change, and a more progressive, DSA reform agenda. Both want Los Angeles to build more housing and reduce homelessness, but they seem to agree on the pace of that change; their governing styles are competing for different constituencies.
Many observers view this mayoral runoff election as a battle between the liberal and traditional Democratic establishment (Bass) and the DSA; a new progressive insurgency Raman now represents.
An election more about politics then effective and solutions based public policy.
(Nick Antonicello is a thirty-three-year resident of the Westside who covers the various municipal, county, state, federal and judicial races on the November ballot. A regular contributor to City Watch LA, you can reach online via e-mail at nantoni@mindspring.com)
