By Ricardo Roura
Councilor Nithya Raman advanced to the November general election to face Karen Bass in the race for mayor of Los Angeles.
Raman overcame a deficit with reality star Spencer Prattwho was second in the race after the first preliminary results were announced on the night of the California primary, Tuesday, June 2.
Over the course of the week, Raman distanced himself as voting updates were announceduntil overtaking Pratt this Sunday night.
Keep reading: Raman is already second in the primary voting for mayor of Los Angeles
According to the AP agency, Raman advanced to the second round of elections against the right-wing mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, in what is expected an unexpected confrontation between two Democrats and former political allies to lead a city of almost 4 million inhabitants.
Pratt, the candidate who received the support of President Donald Trumpwas left out of the race.
The candidacy of Pratt, star of the current reality show “The Hills,” gained national attention due to his fame and his willingness to challenge the Bass-led governmentespecially when criticizing his response to the Palisades fire, a conflagration in which the candidate lost his residence due to the flames.
Keep reading: Karen Bass leads primaries in Los Angeles as Raman closes in on Pratt
However, The attention Pratt received was not enough to get one of the two available spots on the ballot for the Nov. 3 election.
With 92.4% of the ballots counted, Raman is in second place with 28.5% (229,576 votes)while Spencer Pratt is in third place with 25.8% (207,757 votes).
Karen Bass was strong from the first counts, and this Monday afternoon it had 34.3% (275,992 votes).
Keep reading: Results of the California primaries could take days to be known
Raman announced his candidacy at the last minute after having publicly endorsed Bass’s re-election.
Nithya Raman was elected councilwoman with the support of the Democratic Socialists of Americaand the election will test whether voters in heavily Democratic Los Angeles lean further to the political left to address issues like homelessness.
Bass became the first black woman to serve as mayor of Los Angeles, while Raman has the chance to be the first South Asian woman to serve in the role.
Keep reading:
· Trump accuses Democrats of ‘trying to steal’ elections in California
· Bass maintains lead in Los Angeles mayoral election
· Karen Bass leads the primaries for mayor of Los Angeles
