Charisma Madarang
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Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images; HIGHFIVE/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images Los Angeles City Council member Nithya Raman has knocked former reality TV star Spencer Pratt out of the running, securing second place in the Los Angeles mayoral primary race.
The Associated Press called the race on Monday, announcing that Raman will advance to a November runoff against Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, where the two former political allies will face off in the general election. As the outlet highlighted, Bass is the first Black woman to serve as LA mayor, and Raman could be the first South Asian woman in the role.
In California’s open primary system, which sees candidates of all parties run in a single pool with the top two advancing to the general, polling consistently showed Pratt was locked in a tight race with Raman, with late surveys giving Raman the edge. Raman surged in front of Pratt over the weekend as ballots continue to be counted.
Raman has been a figure in Los Angeles politics since 2019, and is a well-known campaigner within her city. “If you’re as frustrated by the broken status quo as I am, I hope you’ll join our movement to build a city that works for everyone,” Raman said in a statement to AP. “For too long, City Hall has prioritized giving political advantage to powerful interests that fund elections. Meanwhile, working people pay the price in higher rents, depleted services and a city that has stopped working for them.”
