Karen Bass heads to LA mayoral runoff after falling short of majority

Incumbent comes out on top in primary election – but with less than 50% of votes – and will take on challenger in November

Karen Bass has come out ahead in Tuesday’s heated primary for Los Angeles mayor, but with less than 50% of the vote will have to defend her seat in November’s general election.

Bass will face either Spencer Pratt, a former reality TV star, or city council member Nithya Raman, in November. As of Tuesday evening, it was still unclear who would move on.

In remarks to voters on Tuesday evening, Bass said she would spend the next four years addressing homelessness and building more housing units.

She described Los Angeles as a rebounding city, and vowed to build on the progress made over the last three and a half years. Invoking the “dark day” a year ago when Donald Trump sent immigration troops into the city, Bass declared: “We are a city that is unified.”

Los Angeles’s next mayor will be tasked with showing progress in curbing the homelessness crisis, an issue that has long vexed the nation’s second-most populous city, revitalizing Hollywood amid a production exodus and shoring up emergency response programs after last year’s deadly wildfires.

The race initially seemed poised to be an intra-party match-up between Bass and her former ally Raman.

But the contest took a turn in its final weeks as Pratt made substantial gains in polling and sparked national attention with controversial campaign videos and a combative debate performance.

Before her time in city hall, Bass had been a fixture of state and national politics, serving long and respected tenures in the state assembly and US Congress. She made history as the first woman to lead Los Angeles, triumphing over billionaire developer Rick Caruso in the 2022 election, and was met with high approval ratings when she assumed office.

In her first month in office, Bass declared a state of emergency on homelessness, a move to expedite the construction of temporary and permanent housing.

Discontent with Bass’s tenure intensified sharply following the deadly January 2025 wildfires, which killed at least 31 people. Bass had been in Ghana on an ill-timed diplomatic trip when the fires broke out. Her absence, coupled with reports about budget cuts to the fire department, sparked a barrage of calls to resign.

Bass later called the trip a “mistake” and said had she been informed of the fire risk, she would not have gone abroad. The National Weather Service had issued warnings about “critical fire conditions” before her trip. Her approval ratings fell, and Bass later sacked the city fire ch