On Monday, the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) decided to delay the vote on whether to uphold or rescind their endorsement of Nithya Raman in the L.A. mayoral race. The DSA raised concerns that Raman has not taken a stance on the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel. The DSA National Political Committee wrote that if Raman did not expressly support BDS by January 1, they would rescind their support for her campaign.
The DSA’s endorsement helped Raman win her City Council seat in 2020, but she has since disagreed with them on issues like Israel and the Mansion Tax. But before her DSA-LA endorsement, she beat Spencer Pratt in the primary, and she has begun to garner support from other areas. She was recently endorsed by Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, and has received support from film stars like Chelsea Handler, Mindy Kaling, Adam Scott, Tina Fey, and former Harvard classmate Natalie Portman. Although Raman’s relationship with the DSA has become increasingly strained, it’s unclear if this will cost her the race. In an interview earlier this week, Raman emphasized: “I did not join the DSA because I had a deep ideological drive, but I do really care about issues and they were the only political organization in LA talking about renters’ rights, the only one.”
Despite defeating Pratt, Raman expressed that she felt their campaigns had something in common. “The success of Spencer Pratt’s campaign showed how much frustration there is here in the city of Los Angeles. And while I think that he was not the right candidate for this moment, I’m also in this race because I’m frustrated and because I think things can be better.”
Raman will face incumbent mayor Karen Bass in the L.A. mayoral elections this upcoming Tuesday, November 3rd.
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