Nithya Raman has out-raised incumbent Karen Bass in the Los Angeles mayoral race, new filings show.
The far-left city councilmember, 42, pulled in roughly $2.53 million in direct contributions and matching funds, edging out Bass, 71, who collected about $2.51 million, according to the latest financial disclosures. The gap is narrow, but it marks a notable shift in a contest that has tightened dramatically in the final stretch before the November 3 election.
Raman’s advantage runs deeper than the overall totals. She holds nearly $1.9 million in cash on hand, compared with Bass’s approximately $1.2 million, leaving her with more resources to deploy in the closing weeks. Both Democrats have tapped the city’s matching fund program, which provides $6 in taxpayer money for every $1 raised from local supporters, with each candidate receiving at least $1 million through the system.
The fundraising numbers land amid signs of momentum for Raman’s insurgent bid. A recent survey showed her leading Bass 39% to 28%, though the mayor’s team dismissed that poll as an outlier. The incumbent, who took office in 2022, now faces a serious threat from a candidate her opponents label a radical socialist.
Last week, Raman secured a high-profile audience that could reshape perceptions of her viability. Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, 77, hosted her at his Santa Monica office for a session with Hollywood executives, business leaders and civic figures. The bodybuilder-turned-politician has not endorsed Raman, but the access alone offered her a bridge to power brokers who might otherwise shun her politics.
“Mayor Bass has the backing of the political establishment and corporations, but our campaign is powered by an extraordinary wave of grassroots support from Angelenos who are ready to change the direction of our city,” Raman said in a statement Friday.
Bass’s operation pushed back with its own framing of the money race. Her campaign chief strategist, Julie C. Rodriguez, said in a statement that “the mayor and her entire operation have been hard at work doing everything needed to win,” including paying for advertisements to draw contrasts between Bass’s policies “with Nithya Raman’s paper-thin record and out-of-touch positions.”
Outside spending is swelling the total financial fight well beyond the candidates’ own hauls. Raman has drawn support from the Western States Regional Council of Carpenters and Aaron Sosnick, a Reno-based hedge fund manager, with their combined independent expenditures reaching $6 million. Forces backing Bass include the Los Angeles Police Protective League, which represents officers rank lieutenant and below, and Airbnb, which together have spent at least $4.55 million to promote the mayor.
Both campaigns are treating their fundraising totals as evidence of electoral strength, spinning the same numbers into competing narratives about establishment power versus grassroots energy. The dueling statements arrived Friday as the race enters its decisive phase, with voters set to decide whether Bass earns a second term or Los Angeles turns to one of the most left-flank figures in city politics.
Bass defeated businessman Rick Caruso in a runoff to become mayor in 2022, taking the helm of a city grappling with homelessness, housing costs and public safety concerns. She previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives and as Speaker of the California State Assembly, building the establishment credentials Raman now uses against her.
The next fundraising deadline falls October 15, when both campaigns must file updated disclosures revealing whether Raman’s edge holds or Bass has closed the gap.