Challenger Nithya Raman has moved ahead of incumbent Mayor Karen Bass in the Los Angeles mayor race 2026, taking a narrow lead in an overnight count that flipped the early result — but the runoff remains uncalled, and the winner may not be known for days. The count released at 3:11 a.m. Pacific Time on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, put Raman on 377,458 votes, or 51.1 per cent, against 360,864 votes, or 48.9 per cent, for Bass: a margin of 16,594 votes, with about 62.7 per cent of the expected vote counted and 738,322 ballots tallied so far.

No news organisation had projected a winner by Wednesday morning, and neither candidate had claimed victory or conceded defeat. The lead changed because Los Angeles counts its votes in stages, and later batches, dominated by mail ballots, can move the result. With more than a third of the expected vote still outstanding, that lead could narrow, widen, or reverse again.

Key Points

• Nithya Raman leads Karen Bass 51.1% to 48.9% in the Los Angeles mayoral runoff, by 16,594 votes.
• First election-night returns had Bass ahead 50.8% to 49.2%; the lead flipped as later ballots were counted.
• About 62.7% of the expected vote has been counted, with 738,322 ballots tallied so far.
• No winner has been projected, and neither candidate has claimed victory or conceded.
• Los Angeles County will release new results at least daily, usually around 5 p.m. PT, through November 13, with certification planned by November 27.

What Happened

Voters went to the polls on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, to choose between Bass, mayor since 2022, and Raman, a city councilmember challenging her for the city's top job. The first returns on Tuesday night gave Bass the lead, with 295,992 votes, or 50.8 per cent, against 286,951 votes, or 49.2 per cent, for Raman — a gap of about 9,000 votes that looked like a close hold for the incumbent.

The picture changed overnight. By 3:11 a.m. PT on Wednesday, Raman had moved in front, adding votes faster than Bass as later ballots were processed. Both campaigns spent election night in familiar Los Angeles settings — Bass in Hollywood, Raman at the Greek Theater in Griffith Park — but neither event produced a victory speech or a concession, and by Wednesday morning both camps were waiting on the county's next update.

Background: A Race That Was Tied Before Election Day

The closeness was not a surprise. A pre-election poll from the University of California, Berkeley's Institute of Governmental Studies and the Los Angeles Times had the pair tied at 40 per cent each, with 19 per cent of voters undecided. That suggested a genuinely open race, not a comfortable re-election, after a campaign in which the challenger had at times led and the incumbent had fought back.

Bass came into the runoff with the advantages of incumbency: name recognition, a record in office to defend, and an established base across the city. Raman presented herself as the challenger offering change, drawing energy from voters who wanted a different direction at City Hall. The runoff format sharpened the contest, reducing the field to two candidates and forcing a direct choice between continuity and change.

Los Angeles Mayor Race 2026: Why the Count Takes So Long

Los Angeles County, the largest county election jurisdiction in the United States, counts votes in stages, and mail ballots are central to that process. Ballots postmarked by Election Day still count if they arrive within seven days, so the county keeps receiving valid ballots after polling day. That rule alone guarantees the count will not finish on election night, and it is one reason a lead can change as the days pass.

The county releases new results at least once a day, usually around 5 p.m. PT, through November 13, and certification is planned by November 27. Each update adds ballots that have been checked, verified and tabulated, and each one can move the margin. In a race separated by about two percentage points, even a modest swing in the remaining ballots could matter. This pattern is common in California, where mail voting is widespread and late-arriving ballots are routinely counted after election night.

Reactions: No Victory Claim, No Concession

The most important reaction so far is the absence of one: neither Raman nor Bass has claimed victory, and neither has conceded. That restraint is appropriate while the count is incomplete, and it contrasts with races elsewhere where candidates have rushed to declare themselves winners before the ballots were finished. Both campaigns appear to be waiting for the daily updates, and for the margin to become clear enough for a projection to be made with confidence.

Why It Matters

The runoff matters beyond City Hall because it tests how voters in one of America's most important cities judge an incumbent after a first term. Bass has governed since 2022, through intense debate about homelessness, housing costs, public safety and the city's recovery from successive crises. Raman's challenge has given dissatisfied voters a clear alternative, and the closeness of the race suggests that dissatisfaction is widespread, even if it is not yet clear whether it is enough to remove an incumbent.

What Happens Next

The next step is the county's next results release, expected around 5 p.m. PT, followed by further daily updates through November 13. Each release will show whether Raman's lead is holding, growing or shrinking, and whether enough of the vote has been counted for news organisations to project a winner. If the margin stays narrow, the race may remain uncalled until late in the counting period, or even until certification.

Once the count is complete, Los Angeles County plans to certify the result by November 27. At that point the winner will be official, and the losing candidate will be expected to concede. Until then, the only responsible description of this race is the one the numbers support: Raman leads, Bass trails, and the contest is not yet decided.

Related reading: our earlier coverage of the Los Angeles mayoral race row over the Raman attack advertisement, the Michigan attorney general result, and the midterm victory speeches.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is leading the Los Angeles mayor race? Challenger Nithya Raman leads incumbent Mayor Karen Bass 51.1% to 48.9%, by 16,594 votes, in the latest count released at 3:11 a.m. PT on November 4, 2026.

Has a winner been declared? No. No news organisation had projected a winner by Wednesday morning, and neither candidate had claimed victory or conceded.

How many votes have been counted? About 738,322 ballots, or roughly 62.7% of the expected vote, had been counted in the latest update.

When will the result be known? Los Angeles County will release new results at least daily, usually around 5 p.m. PT, through November 13, with certification planned by November 27. Mail ballots postmarked by Election Day count if they arrive within seven days.

Who were the candidates? Karen Bass, mayor since 2022, and Nithya Raman, a Los Angeles city councilmember. A pre-election UC Berkeley/Los Angeles Times poll had them tied at 40% each, with 19% undecided.