Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman has overtaken Mayor Karen Bass in a closely contested race for control of the country’s second-largest city as election officials continue counting ballots.

With an estimated 63% of the vote counted, Raman leads with 377,458 votes, or 51.1%, compared to Bass’ 360,864 votes, or 48.9%, according to the latest figures from the Associated Press.

Speaking before an enthusiastic crowd of supporters at the Greek Theatre Plaza in Griffith Park on Tuesday night, Raman celebrated her campaign’s momentum and suggested that the election reflected a broader desire among voters for a different direction.

“Los Angeles is absolutely stunning tonight,” she said to start her speech. “All across America, voters demanded change.

“Here in Los Angeles, this election is about change too— a city that was engineered over the last few decades to resist change and the people right here who said enough is enough,” she said.

Raman also emphasized the city’s affordability crisis, arguing that rising living costs have forced many Angelenos to leave and contributed to growing frustration with local leadership.

“We watched friend after friend, family after family, leave because they couldn’t afford to stay here anymore. And we all talked about it as if these things were completely out of City Hall’s control. That’s the cynicism that started to take over this city. That started to make us believe that L.A.’s problems weren’t just bad, but they were permanent. That L.A.’s best days were behind us,” Raman said.

Despite her lead, Raman acknowledged that the election remained undecided and said she would wait for the remaining ballots to be counted before declaring victory.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass initially held a narrow advantage over challenger Nithya Raman as election results began rolling in Tuesday night, leading by just two percentage points.

But the race shifted overnight as Los Angeles County election officials released additional ballot counts, erasing Bass’ early lead and putting Raman ahead.

Speaking to supporters at the Loews Hollywood Hotel on election night, Bass acknowledged that it “takes awhile to count the vote” but expressed confidence in the outcome.

“Four years ago you gave me the honor of a lifetime,” she said. “This is the Los Angeles that I will never stop fighting for.”

Bass also acknowledged the difficulties facing the city while emphasizing its “extraordinary promise.” She highlighted her administration’s efforts to reduce crime and move unhoused residents off the streets.

Bass promised that during a second term she wanted to continue her efforts to reduce homelessness, expand affordable housing and improve public safety.

She pledged to build on her Inside Safe program, increase staffing at the Los Angeles Police Department and accelerate rebuilding efforts in Pacific Palisades following the devastating January 2025 wildfires.

Meanwhile, Raman ran for mayor on a platform focused on affordable housing, homelessness and improving city services.

She pledged to reduce the number of people living on the streets by at least 50% before the 2028 Olympics, increase housing construction and strengthen protections for renters.

With neither candidate holding a decisive advantage, the outcome of the mayoral contest could remain unresolved for several days.

California election rules allow ballots mailed by Election Day to be counted as long as they arrive within seven days.