LA LA land goes Lal? After NYC, an Indian-origin socialist takes aim at Los Angeles
Trump’s socialist nightmare has an Indian accent
In the 2026 US midterm elections, the focus on controlling House, Senate, and governorships contrasts with a municipal contest in California with strong political ties to India. Los Angeles, with a $15 billion budget, is witnessing a fierce race between incumbent Karen Bass and Nithya Raman, an India-born socialist councilwoman.
Polls show the race currently tied, with Bass, a Democrat supported by political establishment figures, trying to regain a ten-point deficit from September. If Raman wins on November 3, Los Angeles would join New York City in having a mayor of Indian ancestry identified with democratic socialism, highlighting the irony of two economically powerful cities led by politicians from a movement often portrayed as a threat to American capitalism.
Raman's journey is a typical Indian middle-class story, having become an urban planner after studying at Harvard and MIT, and later working on urban issues in India. Her campaign focuses on affordable housing, public infrastructure, and an accountable homelessness program, challenging Bass's term plagued by rising living costs, infrastructure issues, and homelessness.
The story has an interesting historical footnote, as several prominent Indian nationalists and intellectuals had encountered American radical political traditions before establishing socialist movements in India. This current situation marks a shift in the perception and popularity of socialism in the US, with two modern democratic socialist leaders potentially governing two of America's most influential cities.
Written by urgent.news from Times of India's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
