‘This city has opened its arms’: Nithya Raman's emotional reaction after becoming LA mayor | Video

Nithya Raman, set to become the next mayor of Los Angeles, said she loved the city and believed in its people after defeating incumbent Karen Bass in the mayoral election.

Speaking at the Original Farmers Market, Raman said, “This city has given me and my family so much — and at a time when the federal government, over the past two years … has rejected immigrants.”

“This city has opened its arms to people to come and build their dreams here,” she added

Raman's victory makes her the first challenger to defeat an incumbent Los Angeles mayor in more than two decades. She is also set to become the city's first Indian-American and South Asian mayor.

Thank you, LA: Raman's first post after victory

In her first post on X after the victory, Raman said she was deeply honoured to become the next mayor of Los Angeles. She also acknowledged Bass's decades of public service.

“Los Angeles, I am deeply honoured to be your next mayor. I just spoke with Mayor Bass and expressed my deepest gratitude for her leadership and decades of service. Los Angeles would not be the city it is today without her,” she wrote.

Raman said the work ahead would be difficult but expressed confidence in the city's future.

“I love this city. I believe in its people. The work ahead will be hard, and change will take time. And together, we are going to build a future as extraordinary as the city we call home. Thank you, LA. Let's get to work,” she added.

Bass called Raman on Thursday to concede the race after the latest tally from Tuesday's election showed Raman leading with 52 per cent of the vote, compared with 48 per cent for the incumbent. She was the first Black woman to serve as Los Angeles mayor.

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Who is Nithya Raman?

Born in Kerala in 1981, Raman moved to the United States at the age of six. She studied at Harvard University and later earned a master's degree in urban planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Her campaign focused on issues including affordable housing, homelessness, public services and infrastructure. She also proposed deploying medical teams to help people experiencing homelessness.

Raman's victory means two of the largest cities in the United States are now led by mayors of Indian descent. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani took office in January 2026.