When Mamdani and AOC Move to LA — 2/9/26

Zohran Mamdani is running for mayor of Los Angeles. So is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. 

Technically speaking, the two aggressively progressive New York political icons are not moving across the country to seek office in Southern California. But Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman, a young and similarly committed left-leaning local leader who has spearheaded this city’s Democratic Socialist Association political ascension as the first of the council's four DSA members (comprising almost one-third of the 15-member body), has now stepped into the mayoral campaign as the most formidable challenger to embattled incumbent Karen Bass.

Two weeks before her announcement, Raman had endorsed Bass’ re-election, the latest step in what had previously been an extremely close political alliance. But then the Los Angeles Times reported that Bass had intervened to weaken the LA Fire Department’s report on the causes of last year’s massive and devastating wildfires. This bombshell dropped only a few days before last Saturday’s filing deadline, at which point the local political landscape began to churn with an unprecedented lack of predictability or direction. 

First, former Deputy Mayor and LA Schools Superintendent Austin Beutner, judged by many as Bass’ most credible opponent, withdrew from the race after the tragic death of his 22-year-old daughter. Wealthy business owner Rick Caruso, who lost to Bass four years ago, and County Supervisor Lindsay Horvath, who has been sparring with Bass over fire recovery, homelessness, and other issues, both considered entering the campaign. But both opted out, and Bass’ path to re-election began to look stronger.

But on Saturday morning, only a few hours before the deadline, Raman did make her candidacy official. She was not subtle about what had changed her mind.

“Los Angeles needs a mayor who’s going to take responsibility for the whole system,” she said in her announcement. “Who is going to prepare for emergencies before they happen? Who is going to communicate honestly when things go wrong and fix what fails?”

Bass has faced heavy criticism for what most Angelenos believe was a pronounced mishandling of last year’s fires, which killed 31 people, destroyed more than 7,500 homes, and caused economic damage of roughly $250 billion. She suffered so much political damage that some doubted whether she would attempt to run for re-election. But then Donald Trump came to her rescue.

Not intentionally, of course. But Los Angeles was the scene of some of the Trump Administration’s earliest and most aggressive immigration raids. And Bass effectively rallied the community against Trump’s tactics, providing her with a second lease on political life and an improbable path to a comeback re-election victory. 

As the campaign drew closer, it became clear that Angelenos would use two criteria to make their decision: fire and ICE. If Bass were able to frame her election around her resistance to the heavy-handed approach utilized by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents during their time in the Southland, she might be able to leverage the region’s overwhelming anti-Trump sentiments into fuel for her candidacy. But if the public’s attention returns to her unsteady performance in the fire’s aftermath, her chances will diminish greatly.

Neither of these topics translates into any significant policy differences between the establishment incumbent and her populist challenger. But the DSA and its allies have turned Los Angeles a much deeper shade of blue in recent years, electing Raman and her colleagues to the Council and winning the citywide office of controller over another long-time officeholder tasked with defending the political status quo. The mayor’s office is a logical—and highly prized—next step. 

If Raman is elected, it will happen because voters favorably assess her competence rather than due to her ideology. But the progressive grassroots energy that has been reshaping the city’s politics will be of great benefit to her. Bass is a respected but not inspirational leader. In a close race, turnout from the far left could be determinative.

Raman is not nearly as talented a campaigner as either Mamdani or Ocasio-Cortez. But the dynamic in this race could be very similar to the contests that propelled both of those east coast firebrands into office. Bass does not have one fraction of the political baggage that Andrew Cuomo or Eric Adams brought with them last year, but like them she is seen by many as an embodiment of the political establishment. In a heavily Democratic city looking for ways to express its anger toward Trump, Raman could be an ideal vessel. And Bass might end up as the unfortunate target.