Four Challengers Look to Unseat Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass Ahead of California Primary
Why It Matters
The race for Los Angeles mayor is shaping up as one of the most consequential political contests in California in 2026, with the city’s ongoing homelessness crisis, police funding debates, and housing shortage driving a competitive field of challengers. The outcome will determine how the nation’s second-largest city — still recovering from a catastrophic wildfire — addresses problems that have frustrated residents for years.
With California’s primary election scheduled for June 2, voters across Los Angeles are closely watching a race that pits incumbent Mayor Karen Bass against four candidates offering dramatically different visions for the city’s future. Learn how to vote in California’s June 2026 primary election.
What Happened
Incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, 72, is seeking a second four-year term after making history four years ago as the first woman elected mayor of Los Angeles, defeating real estate developer Rick Caruso by approximately 10 percentage points. This cycle, Bass faces a field of 13 challengers, four of whom have emerged as serious rivals based on polling and fundraising.
The race is nonpartisan, but all leading candidates are Democrats except Republican Spencer Pratt. The contest has been shaped in large part by the devastating Palisades fire, which destroyed thousands of homes and killed 12 people. Bass drew sharp criticism for being out of the city when the fire broke out and for her handling of the recovery effort, and she continues to register high disapproval numbers.
Despite that criticism, Bass is vigorously defending her record, pointing to back-to-back reductions in street homelessness, homicide rates that fell to their lowest level since 1966, and the fast-tracking of affordable housing projects across the city.
The Challengers
Spencer Pratt, 42, is a Republican and reality television personality best known for his appearances on MTV’s The Hills. After losing his home in the Palisades fire, Pratt launched a campaign that has focused heavily on attacking Bass and other Democratic officeholders. He has drawn support from figures aligned with President Trump, including Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and podcaster Joe Rogan.
Adam Miller, 53, is a Brentwood resident and former CEO of Cornerstone OnDemand, a global educational technology company that was sold to a private equity firm for $5.2 billion in 2021. Miller also served for a decade as chairman of Team Rubicon, a disaster-recovery nonprofit. He is positioning himself as a competent manager capable of addressing homelessness, lagging housing production, and illegal dumping, and has been courting moderate voters.
Nithya Raman, 44, is a Los Angeles City Councilmember who initially endorsed Bass before launching her own mayoral campaign. She co-founded the SELAH Neighborhood Homeless Coalition and made history in 2020 as the first elected official in the city to win with support from the Democratic Socialists of America. Raman has secured heavy backing from entertainment industry workers and the pro-housing YIMBY movement.
Rae Huang, 43, a Presbyterian minister and community organizer from the Sawtelle neighborhood, is running at the left end of the political spectrum. Huang has proposed cutting police funding, removing surveillance cameras from city street poles, and developing government-owned and operated social housing developments modeled on Vienna’s public housing system. She has worked with Housing NOW! California on affordable housing expansion and renter protections.
By the Numbers
13 total candidates are challenging Bass, with four identified as serious rivals in polling and fundraising.
12 people were killed in the Palisades fire, which also destroyed thousands of homes.
$5.2 billion — the sale price of Cornerstone OnDemand, the education technology company previously led by candidate Adam Miller.
Homicides in Los Angeles fell to their lowest level since 1966, a figure Bass has cited as a key achievement of her administration.
Bass won her first mayoral race by roughly 10 percentage points over Rick Caruso.
Zoom Out
The Los Angeles mayoral race reflects a broader national pattern in which urban Democratic incumbents face growing pressure over homelessness, public safety, and housing costs. The entry of a Trump-aligned Republican candidate into the race also mirrors dynamics playing out in other major California contests. California governor candidates have similarly been jockeying for position following recent shifts in the Democratic field.
Homelessness and crime remain top concerns for voters in cities across the country, and Los Angeles has become a focal point in national debates about how progressive governance handles those issues.
What’s Next
California’s primary election is set for June 2, 2026. If no candidate secures a majority of votes in the primary, the top two finishers will advance to a general election runoff. Candidates are expected to intensify campaigning and spending in the weeks ahead, particularly around the issues of homelessness policy, police resources, and Palisades fire recovery.