A new poll found that Nithya Raman, the progressive city councilmember in a fierce race for Los Angeles mayor, has lost a double-digit lead.
The poll comes in the final days of a race that, in its final stretch, has seen Mayor Karen Bass’ campaign pounce on recent comments made by Raman and her record, including her description of a former Los Angeles Police Department Chief and a since-deleted video about fascism.
Raman and Mayor Karen Bass are tied, a new UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll the Los Angeles Timesreported, which co-sponsored the poll. Both mayoral candidates have 40% of likely voters in Los Angeles, according to a poll conducted Oct. 19-25.
It’s a win for Bass, who was previously found to be 11 percentage points
behind Raman in a UC Berkeley IGS poll sponsored by the Los Angeles Times and released in September. A Bass defeat would mark the first incumbent Los Angeles mayor defeat since 2005, when James Hahn lost to Antonio Villaraigosa, who set his sights on California governor earlier this year.
However, 19% of voters remain undecided in an election that ends in days, according to the poll.
Who are Spencer Pratt voters backing?
Bass is receiving more support (41%) among Spencer Pratt voters than the progressive city councilmember who edged him out in the June 2 primary (14%), according to the poll reported by the Los Angeles Times.
The UC Berkeley IGS poll in September found that 63% of those who voted for Pratt haven’t decided who to vote for in the quickly approaching election, according to the L.A. Times. However, Bass had a slight edge over Raman among Pratt voters who had decided.
Bass received about 34% of the vote, followed by Raman (29%) in the June 2 primary election.
Endorsements have trickled in for both candidates in recent weeks. Bass’ social media accounts are filled with endorsements from recognizable faces: Samuel L. Jackson, Jane Fonda and Villaraigosa. Just this week, billionaire real estate developer Rick Caruso — who ran against Bass in 2022 — said he was casting his vote for her in this race, saying they’ve worked together rebuilding after the devastating fires in Los Angeles County in 2025.
Meanwhile, Raman has secured endorsements from the Sierra Club, Mindy Kaling, as well as Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, who decided not to run for mayor right before a key filing deadline.
Attention recently focused on a since-deleted social media video featuring Raman and a digital content creator talking about fascism — a video Raman described asmiseditedand from an outside party when defending herself against accusations that she called Los Angeles and Bass fascist.
During a debate earlier this month, Raman said Los Angeles used to be the “gold standard in terms of non-cooperation with immigration enforcement years ago under the era of Daryl Gates,” and added that Los Angeles has lost the trust of its immigrant community under Bass.
In the following days, Bass’ campaign shared videos presenting concerns about Gates’ tenure as Los Angeles Police Department chief, with Bass’ campaign chief strategist Julie C. Rodriguez describing the incident as “further proof” that the city councilmember “isn’t up to leading a city with a history and challenges as complex as LA’s.”
Paris Barraza is a reporter covering Los Angeles and Southern California for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at pbarraza@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Karen Bass erases Nithya Raman's lead in fierce LA mayor race
