Los Angeles Mayor Race Wide Open, Nithya Raman Polls Among Top 3

India-West News Desk

LOS ANGELES, CA – A new poll suggests the race for Los Angeles mayor remains wide open, with a majority of voters still undecided and City Councilmember Nithya Raman emerging as a challenger to incumbent Karen Bass.

The survey conducted by Emerson College Polling in partnership with Inside California Politics found that 51 percent of likely voters in Los Angeles have not yet decided who they will support in the June 2 mayoral primary.

Among voters who have made a choice, Bass leads the field with about 20 percent support. Republican Reality television personality Spencer Pratt follows with just over 10 percent. Raman, who entered the race shortly before the filing deadline, is close behind with slightly more than 9 percent, signaling early traction for the progressive councilmember’s campaign.

Tech entrepreneur Adam Miller drew support from just over 4 percent of respondents, while left leaning candidate Rae Huang polled at roughly 3 percent.

Raman’s late entry reshaped the mayoral contest. A former ally of Bass on the City Council, she has positioned herself as a candidate focused on housing affordability, government accountability, and faster action on the city’s most pressing challenges. Her campaign said the poll reflects growing momentum among voters seeking change in city leadership.

Bass, who took office in 2022, remains the best known figure in the race but faces mixed public sentiment. The poll found that 47 percent of respondents disapprove of the job she is doing as mayor, compared with 25 percent who approve. Another 28 percent said they feel neutral or have no opinion.

The survey of 350 likely voters was conducted March 7 to 9 and highlights the fluid nature of the contest with less than three months before the primary election.

Political observers say the unusually high number of undecided voters leaves significant room for movement. Independents were the most uncertain, with 67 percent still undecided. Among Democrats, who dominate the city’s electorate, 49 percent have yet to choose a candidate, while 37 percent of Republicans remain undecided.

A total of 13 candidates have qualified for the ballot pending final verification of signatures. If no candidate secures more than 50 percent of the vote in June, the top two finishers will advance to a runoff election in November.