Current Mayor Karen Bass has spoken publicly for the first time since her loss in the mayoral race against Councilmember Nithya Raman was officially called on Thursday.
In an interview with NBC4, Bass spoke about the future of Los Angeles under Raman’s leadership, the factors that caused her loss in the race and her plans for the future of her career.
Bass conceded the race to Raman on Thursday.
“While this is not the outcome we hoped for, the people of Los Angeles have spoken,” she said in a social media post. “I have called Councilmember Nithya Raman to congratulate her on her victory, and I have committed to ensuring a smooth and seamless transition.”
“The voters made a decision and democracy prevails,” Bass said after being asked for her thoughts on the election results. “I wish Nithya Raman the best of wishes because I have always been and will continue to be about the city of Los Angeles and what will help the city prosper.”
According to AP News, Raman has 608,897 votes, or around 54.8%, while Bass holds a little over 500,000, or 45.2% of the votes for the Los Angeles mayor race. An estimated 99% of the votes have been counted.
When asked if she planned to stay in politics, Bass responded with “doubtful.”
She added, “I have spent my entire life devoted to service never thinking about what do I want to do personally. That moment is here.”
Karen Bass represented the 47th California district in the State Assembly from 2004 to 2010 before serving as a representative in Congress from 2011 to 2022, eventually being elected for Los Angeles mayor in 2022.
Bass was also asked about why she thinks her attempt at a reelection was unsuccessful. She alluded to the fact that Raman was considered the more progressive candidate, even receiving an endorsement from the Democratic Socialists of America, and that the results aligned with the rest of the country’s preference for progressive candidates in the midterm elections.
“I put the election in the context of the national scene and to me, there was a wave and these waves happen,” she said. “I’ve been around long enough to experience them, not where they necessarily affected me. But change waves happen where people are just frustrated and sometimes or not always, you know, just want change. They got it.”
When asked what it meant to her to serve as L.A.’s mayor, Bass responded with “the greatest honor possible.”
The post Karen Bass ‘Doubtful’ About Returning to Politics After Reelection Loss appeared first on LAmag.
