Los Angeles: Indian-born democratic socialist Nithya Raman has been elected Mayor of Los Angeles, becoming the first South Asian to lead the nation's second-largest city and marking another significant milestone for Indian-American political representation in the United States.
Los Angeles, I am deeply honored 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.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.
Raman, 45, a Los Angeles City Council member, defeated incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, 73, in the November 3 midterm elections, securing 52.1 per cent of the votes against Bass's 47.9 per cent, according to NBC News.
With her victory, America's two largest cities, New York and Los Angeles, are now led by mayors of Indian origin associated with the Democratic Socialists of America. Raman's win, along with Zohran Mamdani's electoral success in New York and Janeese Lewis George's victory in Washington, DC, also means Democratic Socialists will lead three major American cities.
"Los Angeles, I am deeply honoured to be your next Mayor. Thank you to the thousands of people who knocked on doors, sent texts, made phone calls, convinced their neighbours to believe in the promise of this big, beautiful, joyful city that we get to call home," Raman said in a video posted on X on Thursday.
She also paid tribute to her predecessor, Bass, the first woman to serve as Los Angeles Mayor, acknowledging her decades of public service.
Raman said her administration would prioritise affordable housing, public parks, accessible public transport, public safety and improving the city's ability to deliver essential services.
"I am going to City Hall to work every single day to earn your trust and to earn your trust in this city again. And 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," she said.
Born in Kerala in 1981, Raman moved to the United States at the age of six. An urban planner by training, she graduated from Harvard University and earned a master's degree in urban planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Her victory was among several significant electoral gains made by Indian-American candidates across the country in the midterm elections, which delivered a major setback to President Donald Trump and the Republicans as Democrats regained control of both the House and Senate.
Indian American Impact, an organisation working to strengthen South Asian and Indian-American political representation, congratulated Raman on her victory, describing it as a reflection of the community's growing political influence in California.
The organisation noted that California is home to more than one million South Asian residents, the largest such population in the United States.
Among other notable victories, Manoj Chourasia was re-elected to the New Hampshire State House, Darshana Patel retained her seat in the California State Assembly, and Ranjeev Puri won re-election to the Michigan House of Representatives. With Democrats regaining control of the Michigan chamber, Puri is expected to become the state's next Speaker of the House, potentially making him the first Indian-American to hold the position.
Dr Krish Subrahmanian won a seat in the Minnesota State Senate, while Aruna Miller was re-elected as Maryland's Lieutenant Governor. Lisa Kaul won a New York State Senate seat, defeating a Republican incumbent and flipping the constituency.
Nabeela Syed was elected to the Illinois State Senate, while Amar Mukunda won a seat in the Maryland State Senate. Saba Haider was elected to the Illinois State House, and Josh Kaul was re-elected as Wisconsin's Attorney General.
Pooja Sethi won Texas House District 47, becoming the first Indian-American to serve in the Texas legislature. Jyot Singh was elected to Georgia House District 97, becoming the first Indian-American and Sikh-American to enter the Georgia State Legislature.
Meanwhile, Trump warned that Democratic Socialist leadership in major American cities could lead to a "disaster", reacting to the victories of progressive candidates in Los Angeles and Washington DC.
Trump said voters could eventually seek political change if they became dissatisfied with the new administrations but cautioned that the consequences of such policies might become difficult to reverse.
"They're going to have to see what happens. I mean, there'll be a point at which, if people are unhappy, there'll be change. But, unfortunately, usually that happens so late that you'll never be able to bring back a city, or a country, or a state, you know, when it goes too far," he said.
He also questioned the outcome of the Los Angeles mayoral election, expressing surprise over the defeat of conservative candidate Spencer Pratt and alleging irregularities without providing evidence.
"I watched the election in Los Angeles, and it was a very disgraceful event, because I thought Spencer Pratt would be in the final, and so did everyone else," Trump said.
"Our elections are so crooked, you have no idea," he added.
Warning about the potential consequences of progressive policies, Trump said, "If you go by history, it's going to be a disaster. Going to be a disaster."
Raman's victory, alongside the electoral successes of Mamdani and Lewis George, marks a significant moment for the Democratic Socialist movement in American urban politics and for the growing political representation of Indian-origin Americans.