Bass Concedes After Raman Builds 34K-Vote Lead In LA Mayor Race

LOS ANGELES, CA — Mayor Karen Bass conceded to Nithya Raman Thursday morning after NBC News projected that Raman had secured enough votes to defeat the incumbent and be elected the next mayor of Los Angeles.

NBC News called the race for Raman after she steadily widened her lead over Bass as election officials counted ballots. Decision Desk HQ also projected Raman as the winner Wednesday evening.

The latest figures released Thursday morning by the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk's Office showed Raman with 429,450 votes, or 52.1%, compared with Bass' 394,796 votes, or 47.9%.

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Raman's lead grew to 34,654 votes Thursday morning, up from 26,124 votes Wednesday night.

“While this is not the outcome we hoped for, the people of Los Angeles have spoken," Bass said in a statement late Thursday morning. "I have called Councilmember Nithya Raman to congratulate her on her victory, and I have committed to ensuring a smooth and seamless transition. Moving this city forward is what Los Angeles needs from all of us."

Raman said she was "deeply honored" to be the city's next mayor in a video posted Thursday.

"I also wanted to pay tribute to Mayor Karen Bass, someone who has given decades of her life to making this city what it is today," she said. "To every voter out there who voted for Mayor Bass or who chose not to vote in this election at all, please know this: I am going to City Hall to work every single day to earn your trust, and to earn your trust in this city again."

Raman added: "That work starts now, so that we can build housing that people can afford, parks for our children to play in, a transit system that can get people where they need to go, a city that is safe for its working people and its families, and a city government that is actually capable of delivering on its promises."

Bass initially held a narrow lead when the first results were released Tuesday night, but Raman pulled ahead as additional ballots were counted.

Raman, 45, ran a progressive campaign that criticized Bass' handling of homelessness and rising housing costs. Her victory would make her the latest democratic socialist to win a mayoral race in a major U.S. city.

Ballot counting is continuing, and the results have not yet been certified.

City News Service contributed to this report.