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India-born leftist Nithya Raman beats incumbent Karen Bass to become LA mayor

India-born Democratic socialist ousts incumbent in heated race

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Nithya Raman, an India-born Democratic socialist, defeated incumbent Karen Bass to become mayor of Los Angeles, winning 52% of the vote against Bass's 48% with three-quarters of ballots counted, after Bass conceded by phone on Thursday.

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Why It Matters

Nithya Raman, described as India-born and a Democratic socialist, campaigned in Los Angeles on a platform of "pothole politics," criticizing broken street lights and jagged pavements as failures of her predecessor's leadership while harnessing younger voters' anger over affordability.

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India-born Democratic socialist Nithya Raman ousted incumbent Democrat Karen Bass to become the next mayor of Los Angeles, ending a heated race that saw the one-time allies spar over frustration with the status quo.

Bass called Raman on Thursday to concede, after the latest numbers showed Raman with 52 per cent of the vote against the outgoing mayor's 48 per cent, with three-quarters of votes counted.

Raman, 45, campaigned in the nation's second-largest city on a platform of "pothole politics" – dubbing broken street lights and jagged pavements as failures of her predecessor's leadership – while harnessing the anger of younger voters over affordability.

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