2026 Los Angeles mayoral election
Municipal election in California
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2026 Los Angeles mayoral election will be held on November 3, 2026 to elect the mayor of Los Angeles, California.[1] A nonpartisan top-two primary was held on June 2, 2026. Incumbent mayor Karen Bass announced her re-election bid in July 2024.[2] In the June 8 primary, Bass and city councilmember Nithya Raman advanced to the general election.
.jpg)
 | |||||||||||||||||
June 2, 2026 (first round)
November 3, 2026 (runoff) | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
.jpg)
Candidates
Advanced to runoff
- Karen Bass, incumbent mayor (2022–present)[2]
- Nithya Raman, city councilmember from the 4th district (2020–present) and assistant council president pro tempore (2025–2026)[3] (previously endorsed Bass)[4]
Eliminated in primary
- Bryant Acosta, chief creative officer[5]
- Asaad Alnajjar, Porter Ranch neighborhood councilor and candidate for Los Angeles's 12th City Council district in 2020[6]
- Nelson Cheng, streamer and behavioral interventionist[5]
- Rae Huang, community organizer[7]
- Tish Hyman, singer-songwriter[8]
- Andrew Kim, attorney and candidate for mayor in 2022[9][5]
- Suzy Kim, mental health professional[5]
- John Logsdon, Westchester/Playa neighborhood councilor[10]
- Juanita Lopez, political scientist[5]
- Adam Miller, former tech executive[11]
- Spencer Pratt, reality television personality[12]
- Andrej Selivra, enterprise technical architect[9][5]
Disqualified
- Adam Carmichael, software systems architect[13]
- Alyxandria-Jamil Carter, artist[5][14]
- Griselda Diaz, administrative manager[5]
- Cassandra Faye Floyd, minister[5][14]
- Joseph Garcia, gardener and advocate[9][5][14]
- Laura Garza, rail worker and perennial candidate[15][14]
- Robert Goodman, entrepreneur and financial advisor[5][14]
- Keeldar Shawn Hamilton, transportation coordinator[5][14]
- Nick Harron, writer[5]
- Stevie Maceo Milan, sales representative[5][14]
- Misael Ortega, painting contractor[5]
- Vincent Wali, musician and nurse[5][6][14]
Withdrawn
- Austin Beutner, former superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District and
1st Deputy Mayor of Los Angeles[16] - Jeanne Moller Fontana, mental health activist[5][14]
- Franziska Von Fischer, real estate investor[9][5][14]
Declined
- Rick Caruso, founder of Caruso and runner-up for mayor in 2022[17]
- Lindsey Horvath, Los Angeles County supervisor (2022–present) (ran for re-election)[18]
- Kenneth Mejia, Los Angeles City controller (2022–present) (ran for re-election)[6][19]
- Traci Park, city councilmember from the 11th district (2022–present) (ran for re-election)[6][20]
- Monica Rodriguez, city councilmember from the 7th district (2017–present)[21] (ran for re-election)[22]
- Maryam Zar, founder of the Palisades Recovery Coalition[23]
Primary
Most attention in the non-partisan primary was focused on Bass, the incumbent Democratic mayor; Pratt, a Republican reality television personality; and Raman, a Democratic city councilmember.[24] Pratt had come to renewed prominence by channeling popular resentment against city government for its handling of the Palisades Fire, in which he had lost his home the previous year; he became a focal point of Republican support.[24] Raman, a Democratic Socialists of America member, entered the race only hours before the filing deadline in order to provide an alternate challenger to Pratt; she positioned herself as more progressive than Bass, focusing on the city's housing crisis and other policy areas where she charged that Bass's establishment politics had failed.[25]
Debates
| Date | Host | Moderators | Location | Link | Nonpartisan | Nonpartisan | Nonpartisan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key: P Participant I Invited W Withdrawn A Absent N Not invited |
|||||||
| Karen Bass | Spencer Pratt | Nithya Raman | |||||
| May 5, 2026[26] | Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association | Phil Sherman | Sherman Oaks East Valley Adult Center | YouTube | P | N | P |
| May 6, 2026[27] | NBC4 Telemundo 52 |
Enrique Chiabra Conan Nolan Colleen Williams |
Skirball Cultural Center | YouTube | P | P | P |
Canceled debate
A third debate was scheduled to occur on May 13, hosted by the League of Women Voters, with five candidates invited. Bass withdrew from the debate a week before, after originally committing to attending. Pratt was also invited to the debate, but declined due to a scheduling conflict. On May 11, Raman withdrew from the debate, leading to its cancellation later that day.[28]
| Planned date | Host | Nonpartisan | Nonpartisan | Nonpartisan | Nonpartisan | Nonpartisan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key: P Participant I Invited W Withdrawn A Absent N Not invited |
||||||
| Karen Bass | Rae Huang | Adam Miller | Spencer Pratt | Nithya Raman | ||
| May 13, 2026[29] | League of Women Voters Pat Brown Institute |
W | I | I | I | W |
Endorsements
- Executive branch officials
- Kamala Harris, former vice president of the United States (2021–2025)[30]
- U.S. senators
- Alex Padilla, California (2021–present)[31]
- Adam Schiff, California (2024–present)[32]
- U.S. representatives
- Nanette Barragán, CA-44 (2017–present)[33]
- Sydney Kamlager-Dove, CA-37 (2023–present)[33]
- Nancy Pelosi, former speaker of the House (2007–2011, 2019–2023) from CA-11 (1987–present)[34]
- Luz Rivas, CA-29 (2025–present)[33]
- Maxine Waters, CA-43 (1991–present)[35]
- Statewide officials
- Rob Bonta, attorney general of California (2021–present)[36]
- Gavin Newsom, governor of California (2019–present)[37]
- State legislators
- Steve Bradford, former SD-35 (2016–2024)[38]
- Isaac Bryan, AD-55 (2021–present)[38]
- María Elena Durazo, SD-26 (2018–present)[33]
- Sade Elhawary, AD-57 (2024–present)[38]
- Mike Fong, AD-49 (2022–present)[38]
- Jesse Gabriel, AD-46 (2018–present)[38]
- Caroline Menjivar, SD-20 (2022–present)[33]
- Fabian Nunez, former speaker of the California State Assembly (2004–2008) from AD-46 (2002–2008)[39]
- Lola Smallwood-Cuevas, SD-28 (2022–present)[38]
- Rick Zbur, AD-51 (2022–present)[33]
- County officials
- Kathryn Barger, Los Angeles County supervisor from the 5th district (2016–present) (Republican)[40]
- Janice Hahn, Los Angeles County supervisor from the 4th district (2018–present)[41]
- Robert Luna, sheriff of Los Angeles County (2022–present)[42]
- Holly Mitchell, Los Angeles County supervisor from the 2nd district (2020–present)[40]
- Hilda Solis, Los Angeles County supervisor from the 1st district (2014–present) and former U.S. secretary of labor (2009–2013)[40]
- Local officials
- Bob Blumenfield, city council president pro tempore (2024–present) from the 3rd district (2013–present)[33]
- Marqueece Harris-Dawson, city council president (2024–present) from the 8th district (2015–present)[38]
- Eunisses Hernandez, city councilmember from the 1st district (2022–present)[43]
- Heather Hutt, city councilmember from the 10th district (2022–present)[38]
- Ysabel Jurado, city councilmember from the 14th district (2024–present)[43]
- John Lee, city councilmember from the 12th district (2019–present) (Independent)[33]
- Tim McOsker, city councilmember from the 15th district (2022–present)[41]
- Adrin Nazarian, city councilmember from the 2nd district (2024–present)[38]
- Imelda Padilla, city councilmember from the 6th district (2023–present)[33]
- Curren Price, city councilmember from the 9th district (2013–present)[38]
Nithya Raman, city councilmember from the 4th district (2020–present)[4] (entered the race in February 2026)- Hugo Soto-Martinez, city councilmember from the 13th district (2022–present)[44]
- Individuals
- J.J. Abrams, filmmaker[45]
- Jasmyne Cannick, political strategist[46]
- Don Cheadle, actor[45]
- Jane Fonda, actress and climate activist[45]
- David Huerta, president of SEIU United Service Workers West[47]
- Dolores Huerta, labor leader[34]
- Samuel L. Jackson, actor[48]
- Magic Johnson, businessman and former basketball player[49]
- Jenifer Lewis, actress and singer[45]
- Angelica Salas, immigration activist[47]
- Labor unions
- AFSCME District Council 36[33]
- American Federation of Musicians Local 47[50]
- California Nurses Association[51]
- IATSE California[52]
- ILWU Southern California District Council[53]
- LA/OC Building & Construction Trades Council[54]
- Los Angeles County Federation of Labor[46]
- Los Angeles Police Protective League[6]
- SEIU Local 721[55]
- Teamsters Local 399 and Joint Council 42[33]
- Organizations
- Building Owners and Managers Association Greater Los Angeles[56]
- Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles[57]
- Democratic Mayors Association[58]
- Elect Democratic Women[59]
- EMILYs List[34]
- Hollywood Chamber of Commerce[56]
- Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce[60]
- Los Angeles County Young Democrats[61]
- Planned Parenthood Los Angeles[34]
- Stonewall Democratic Club[62]
- Stonewall Young Democrats[33]
- Valley Industry & Commerce Association[60]
- Political parties
- Newspapers
- Executive branch officials
- Richard Grenell, special presidential envoy for special missions (2025–present)[72]
- U.S. senators
- Rick Scott, Florida (2019–present)[73]
- Local officials
- Chad Bianco, sheriff-coroner of Riverside County (2019–present)[73]
- Individuals
- Adam Carolla, comedian[74]
- Kristin Cavallari, TV personality[75]
- Jonathan Cheban, reality TV personality[76]
- Olivia Culpo, model[77]
- Johnny Devenanzio, TV personality[78]
- Doug Ellin, screenwriter and director[79]
- David Foster, music producer[80]
- Kelsey Grammer, actor[81]
- Paris Hilton, media personality[77]
- Perez Hilton, media personality[77]
- Steve Hilton, former director of strategy to the prime minister of the United Kingdom (2010–2012) and Republican nominee for governor of California in 2026[72]
- Brody Jenner, reality TV personality and model[82]
- Benny Johnson, conservative commentator[73]
- Kaskade, DJ and music producer[82]
- Erika Kirk, chairwoman and CEO of Turning Point USA[83]
- Heather McDonald, actress, comedian and author[84]
- Katharine McPhee, actress[85][86]
- Wendy Moniz, actress[82]
- Heidi Montag, TV personality and singer (candidate's wife)[87]
- Dennis Quaid, actor[88]
- Joe Rogan, podcaster and comedian[89]
- Rob Schneider, actor and comedian[90]
- Tom Schwartz, TV personality[77]
- Patti Stanger, matchmaker, businesswoman, and TV personality[91]
- Jax Taylor, model and actor[77]
- Nick Viall, actor[82]
- Torrie Wilson, professional wrestler[92]
- James Woods, actor[93]
- Newspapers
- Executive branch officials
- Jon Favreau, White House Director of Speechwriting (2009–2013)[98]
- Individuals
- Hannah Einbinder, actress[99]
- Christopher Lloyd, actor[98]
- Paul Scheer, actor[98]
- Michael Schur, producer and director[100]
- Labor unions
- United Auto Workers Region 6[101]
- Organizations
- Organizations
Fundraising
| Campaign finance reports as of May 27, 2026 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand | |
| Karen Bass | $3,214,043 | $4,114,009 | $278,668 | |
| Rae Huang | $315,364 | $326,291 | $8,554 | |
| Adam Miller | $4,283,106 | $3,996,593 | $459,736 | |
| Spencer Pratt | $3,744,718 | $3,251,963 | $814,291 | |
| Nithya Raman | $980,930 | $2,090,548 | $294,891 | |
| Source:[106] | ||||
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Karen Bass |
Spencer Pratt |
Nithya Raman |
Adam Miller |
Rae Huang |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berkeley IGS[107][A] | May 19–24, 2026 | 1,351 (LV) | ± 3.0% | 26% | 22% | 25% | 5% | 9% | – | 10% |
| Cygnal (R)[108] | May 15–18, 2026 | 500 (LV) | ± 4.4% | 25% | 22% | 18% | 5% | 5% | – | 25% |
| David Binder Research (D)[109][B] | May 2026 | – | – | 38% | 22% | 24% | – | – | – | 16% |
| Emerson College[110][C] | May 9–10, 2026 | 1,000 (LV) | ± 3.0% | 35%[b] | 23% | 23% | 12% | 5% | 3%[c] | – |
| 30% | 22% | 19% | 7% | 4% | 0%[d] | 16% | ||||
| UCLA[111] | March 15–29, 2026 | 813 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 25% | 11% | 9% | 3% | 3% | 9% | 40% |
| Berkeley IGS[112][A] | March 9–15, 2026 | 840 (LV) | – | 25% | 14% | 17% | 6% | 8% | 4% | 26% |
| Emerson College[113][C] | March 7–9, 2026 | 1,000 (RV) | ± 5.2% | 20% | 10% | 9% | 4% | 3% | 3%[e] | 51% |
Results
At the end of election night, Bass led with a plurality of votes, followed by Pratt with Raman in third, with only a fraction of ballots tabulated.[114] Over the next week, the additional tabulation of ballots narrowed the gap between Raman and Pratt, and the former eventually overtook the latter in vote totals.[114] With 93% of the vote tabulated on 8 June, election observers concluded that Bass and Raman advanced to a runoff election, with Pratt and all other candidates eliminated.[115][116][114]
California's practice of incrementally counting ballots and broadcasting updates in daily batches triggered election conspiracists, including President Donald Trump.[117] In one batch update, a 41-second delay in the electronic broadcast of Pratt's vote totals relative to Bass's and Raman's led to claims of election fraud.[117] The LA County registrar's office confirmed to the Los Angeles Times that Pratt had received additional votes in every batch of updates during the count,[117] a fact with which the Trump-appointed US attorney Bill Essayli concurred.[118] The Sunday after the election, Pratt suggested that 43000 homeless people had inappropriately cast ballots for Raman.[119][120][121] On the same day, Trump shut down an interview with Kristen Welker when she asked him to substantiate his claims of election fraud.[122] Federal House Speaker Mike Johnson also made insinuations of electoral fraud that he was unwilling to substantiate, saying that fraud was "impossible to prove" but could be detected "instinctively".[123]
As of June 9, 2026[update], Pratt had yet to concede the race or fulfill his vow to leave Los Angeles if not elected.[121] On June 11, Pratt asked online, "Are they done counting yet?"; the Associated Press estimated that by that point, 99% of the ballots had been counted and Pratt had received 25.5% of the votes compared to Raman's 29%.[124] On his syndicated television program, Los Angeles comedian Jimmy Kimmel announced that he had rented a moving truck on behalf of Pratt.[124] On June 12, Pratt released a video announcing that he was no longer encumbered by a campaign, and that "Angelenos are now stuck with two morons responsible for all their problems and now have to choose between dumb and dumber", apparently referring to Bass and Raman; independent observers interpreted the video as a concession.[125][126] Pratt also indicated he would not fulfill his vow to leave Los Angeles.[125]
- 20–30%
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
- 80–90%
- >90%
- 20–30%
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
- 80–90%
- >90%
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
- 80–90%
- >90%
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Karen Bass (incumbent) | 292,593 | 34.3 | |
| Nithya Raman | 247,781 | 29.0 | |
| Spencer Pratt | 217,977 | 25.5 | |
| Adam Miller | 30,008 | 3.5 | |
| Rae Chen Huang | 25,220 | 3.0 | |
| Juanita Lopez | 13,032 | 1.5 | |
| Andrew Kim | 6,988 | 0.8 | |
| Suzy Kim | 6,051 | 0.7 | |
| Assad Alnajjar | 4,063 | 0.5 | |
| Bryant Acosta | 3,470 | 0.4 | |
| John Logsdon | 3,029 | 0.4 | |
| Tish Hyman | 1,640 | 0.2 | |
| Andrej Selivra | 1,159 | 0.1 | |
| Nelson Cheng | 881 | 0.1 | |
| Total votes | 853,892 | 100.0 | |
Runoff
The elimination of Pratt and other candidates set up a runoff election in which Raman will challenge the incumbent Bass from the left.[120] While both candidates are Democrats, Raman is also a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, with the Los Angeles chapter endorsing her on September 2, 2026.[129]
Post-primary endorsements
- Statewide officials
- Fiona Ma, treasurer of California (2019–present)[130]
- Local officials
- Laura Chick, former city controller of Los Angeles (2001–2009)[131]
- Kenneth Mejia, city controller of Los Angeles (2022–present)[132]
- Individuals
- Bob Odenkirk, actor[133]
- Labor unions
- Committee of Interns and Residents[134]
- UNITE HERE Local 11[135]
- Western States Regional Council of Carpenters[130]
- Organizations
- Political parties
- California Working Families Party[138]
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Karen Bass |
Nithya Raman |
Other | Undecided | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berkeley IGS[139][A] | September 15–20, 2026 | 2,150 (LV) | ± 3% | 28% | 39% | – | 33% | ||||||||
| Hart Research Associates (D)[140][D] | September 1–9, 2026 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.1% | 39% | 44% | – | 17% | ||||||||
| Impact Research (D)[141][E] | August 28 – September 3, 2026 | 700 (LV) | ± 3.7% | 38% | 37% | – | 26% | ||||||||
| Tavern Research (D)[142][F] | August 20–25, 2026 | 2,258 (LV) | ± 3% | 47%[f] | 53% | – | – | ||||||||
| 32% | 38% | – | 30% | ||||||||||||
| David Binder Research (D)[143][B] | August 2026 | – | – | 35% | 33% | – | 24% | ||||||||
| Tulchin Research (D)[144][G] | August 2026 | 1,200 (LV) | ± 2.8% | 41% | 35% | – | 24% | ||||||||
| Bass and Raman advance to runoff | |||||||||||||||
| Berkeley IGS[107][A] | May 19–24, 2026 | 1,913 (RV) | ± 3% | 28% | 32% | 25%[g] | 15% | ||||||||
Karen Bass vs. Spencer Pratt
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Karen Bass |
Spencer Pratt |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berkeley IGS[107][A] | May 19–24, 2026 | 1,913 (RV) | ± 3% | 47% | 22% | 12%[h] | 12% |
Spencer Pratt vs. Nithya Raman
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Spencer Pratt |
Nithya Raman |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berkeley IGS[107][A] | May 19–24, 2026 | 1,913 (RV) | ± 3% | 28% | 45% | 11%[i] | 16% |
False polling from Median Strategies
Median Strategies was a company that initially described itself as a pollster, and then as a "short term social experiment" after repeated media inquiries.[145][146] In August 2026, it released the purported results of a public opinion poll for the Los Angeles mayoral runoff election, before retracting its release days later, stating that "[a]ll previously published polling releases have been withdrawn and should not be cited or treated as genuine polling data". The false polling data stated that Karen Bass led Nithya Raman by 12 percentage points.[145][146][147]
The company acknowledged to reporters that the data was false, and following its admission, declared on August 17, 2026, that it was shutting down.[145][146] In a written statement, the company said "Median Strategies was created as a short term social experiment to examine how purported polling information could enter and spread through the political information ecosystem without independent verification",[145][146] but contemporaneous reporting did not indicate whether this sequence of events was the company's plan all along, or whether any survey research had ever been conducted by the company.
Median Strategies released a statement on its website claiming "no individual involved held or traded any position in an election prediction market, betting market, or other financial instrument tied to the races covered by Median Strategies".[147][148] The Associated Press evaluated the effect of the company's statements on betting markets and found that prediction markets saw small changes in price and significant numbers of trades in the 15 minutes immediately following the release of false polling data for the mayoral runoff election.[147]
Bass's campaign had initially celebrated the poll results, but after the revelation Bass called for prosecutions.[145][146] Raman's campaign criticized Bass's outfit for having initially promoted the so-called poll without vetting it.[145][146]
Results
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Karen Bass (incumbent) | |||
| Nithya Raman | |||
| Total votes | 100.0 | ||
See also
- 2026 Los Angeles elections
- 2026 Los Angeles County elections
- 2026 California elections
- 2026 United States local elections
- Bost v. Illinois State Board of Elections — Supreme Court decision on counting ballots after election day
Notes
- Key:
A – all adults
RV – registered voters
LV – likely voters
V – unclear - With voters who lean towards a given candidate
- "Someone else" with 3%
- "Someone else" with 0%
- "Someone else" with 3%
- With voters who lean towards a given candidate
- "Neither" with 25%
- "Neither" with 12%
- "Neither" with 11%
Partisan clients
- Poll sponsored by the Los Angeles Times
- Poll sponsored by Bass's campaign
- Poll sponsored by Inside California Politics
- Poll sponsored by Raman's campaign
- Poll sponsored by Estamos con Nithya for Mayor of LA 2026 and the Western States Regional Council of Carpenters, which support Raman
- Poll was sponsored by Streets for All PAC, which supports Raman
- Poll sponsored by Neighborhoods for a Better L.A., which supports Bass