A recent poll released in Los Angeles shows a significant gap in support between the current mayor, Karen Bass, and City Councilmember Nithya Raman. Raman leads by 16 percentage points, with her support nearly double that of Bass.
The poll conducted by the Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles Research Center (LMU) among the five main candidates for the current mayoral election in Los Angeles placed Raman at the top with 33% support, followed by Bass at 17%. Chinese-American candidate Rae Huang and tech executive Adam Miller are tied at 13%, while conservative reality TV star Spencer Pratt sits at 12%.
The survey was conducted from February 11 to March 16, interviewing 370 Los Angeles voters who were briefed on the candidates’ backgrounds and key policies.
Bass’s campaign team has raised doubts about the results. A spokesperson told the Los Angeles Times that in the 2022 mayoral election, a prior LMU poll showed Bass at only 16% support, yet she ultimately won the primary with 43% of the vote.
On the other hand, Raman remains optimistic about the poll results. “Our campaign is gaining momentum,” she expressed on the social platform X, highlighting that the latest poll shows her leading with approximately 32.5% support, nearly double that of the current mayor. She stated, “Los Angeles is ready for a well-functioning city.”
According to The Guardian, Raman’s volunteer team comprises up to 2,000 individuals who have visited around 80,000 households to introduce her policies one by one.
Meanwhile, two other polls have shown differing results. A recent online poll conducted by the Berkeley Public Policy Institute and the Los Angeles Times in mid-March revealed Bass at 25% support, Raman at 17%, Pratt at 14%, Miller at 6%, and Huang at 4%. However, the poll indicated that 56% of voters held negative views of Bass, significantly higher than other candidates.
Another California poll released by Emerson College in mid-March showed Bass leading at 20%, followed by Pratt (10%), Raman (9%), Miller (4%), and Huang (3%). The survey also highlighted that 27% of Democratic voters support Bass, while 14% back Raman; 29% of Republican voters favor Pratt, with a considerable portion of voters still undecided.
On the policy front, Raman’s focus lies on housing and homelessness issues. She pointed out the longstanding housing shortage in Los Angeles, coupled with heavy rental burdens, attributed to policy restrictions on construction over the years.
On March 25, she unveiled a housing reform plan, which includes expediting approval processes for various housing developments, streamlining permits and inspection procedures, increasing residential density along transit corridors and surrounding areas, simplifying the conversion of office buildings to residences, and enabling the separate sale of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs).
Additionally, Raman advocates for strengthening tenant protections and plans to establish a new tenant protection office to address the majority of Los Angeles residents who rely on renting as their primary housing situation.
In terms of immigration policy, Raman aligns closely with most Democratic candidates. She has stated her intention to use legislative and administrative means to minimize the impact of federal policies on Los Angeles, and she has been critical of the actions of the local Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency.