&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "A mayor for Los Angeles from Kerala? Who is Nithya Raman, the Indian-origin contender?")
Los Angeles, home of Hollywood, is likely to get an Indian-origin, Kerala-born mayor. Nithya V Raman, who has been the LA City Council member for District 4 since 2020, is emerging as a top contender in the runoff election on November 3. Raman, who is a progressive, advanced to the runoff against incumbent Mayor Karen Bass- who is unaffiliated - having taken a narrow lead for second place over former reality TV star and Republican Spencer Pratt. An NBC news report said Raman closed the gap with each successive update from Los Angeles election authorities. On Sunday night (Jun 8), she overtook Pratt by a few thousand votes.
Who is Nithya Raman?
Nithya Raman is an Indian-American urban planner, politician and progressive activist. She was born to Tamil parents in the south Indian state of Kerala in 1981. Raman's family moved to Louisiana when she was six years old. She graduated from Harvard University and holds a masters degree in urban planning from MIT. A mother of twins, Raman is a Progressive Democrat with past links to Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). She won her council seat in 2020 as an outsider, which at the time was called a “political earthquake.” She was the first Asian-American woman and first South Asian on the LA City Council.
Nitya Raman's mayoral race in Los Angeles: Story so far
Raman announced her surprise candidacy against Bass, who she had endorsed earlier, right before the filing deadline. She is focusing her campaign on affordable housing, fixing the American city's potholes, streets and improving services. She wants to improve the endemic homelessness in LA and support its film industry, which is currently facing challenges from Artificial Intelligence and other technological developments.
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In the June 2 top-two primary, Karen Bass had led in the mayoral race with around 34.7 per cent. This weekend, Nithya Raman overtook Spencer Pratt for second place with around 27.1 per cent when 83 per cent of votes were counted. Currently, she is projected to face Bass in November.
What are the chances of Nitya Raman's mayoral race in Los Angeles?
The picture is not clear as Bass is still ahead. Betting markets and some polls give Bass a favourite edge of around 5 per cent. But Raman has strong progressive support and has led Bass in some head-to-head polls.
If she wins, it would make Raman the first Indian-origin and first South Asian mayor of Los Angeles. The race is still competitive. The final primary certification is pending, but she’s the clear favourite to advance to the November runoff.
