The Latest on LA’s Messy Mayor’s Race

In the Los Angeles mayoral election, incumbent Karen Bass is facing off against City Councilmember Nithya Raman, pitting two former allies against one another. The contest captured national attention this spring in large part because of the candidacy of former reality TV star Spencer Pratt, who was embraced by national MAGA figures. Despite that attention, he failed to make it into the runoff. Since then, the race has gotten messier. A polling firm fabricated a survey showing Bass leading Raman by double digits. Raman hired the progressive consulting group that ran campaigns for New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and former Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner. Plus, the two candidates faced off in their first mayoral debate since the primary in Sherman Oaks last week. Marisa Lagos discusses how the race is shaping up with Los Angeles Times columnist Gustavo Arellano. Check out Political Breakdown’s weekly newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices