On to the General Election, LA Primary Results
The results from the June 2, Los Angeles primary election have been certified, setting the stage for a general election in November with a historic mayoral runoff and major shakeups in key city offices. The election underscored a growing political tug-of-war between L.A.’s center-left Democratic establishment and the progressive movement.
LA Mayor Forced into Runoff
Mayor Karen Bass is the first Los Angeles mayoral incumbent to be forced into a runoff since 2005. In November she will face off against Councilmember Nithya Raman.
Bass failed to secure the 50% majority required to win reelection outright, capturing 34.3% of the vote. Raman, who staged a dramatic late-count surge, captured second place with 29.0%.
Early tallies had the conservative-leaning independent candidate endorsed by President Trump, Spencer Pratt, in second place. However, as the county processed tens of thousands of mail ballots over the following week, Raman steadily overtook Pratt, eventually locking him out of the general election with a cushion of roughly 30,000 votes.
The impending runoff between Bass and Raman represents an ideological and generational battle. Bass is centering her campaign on her first-term achievements, pointing to an initial drop in street homelessness, increased affordable housing approvals, and lower homicide rates. She is maintaining strong backing from traditional labor and the city's Democratic establishment. Raman represents a younger, highly organized progressive base demanding more of what Raman supports--aggressive systemic reforms on housing with accelerated construction, zoning reform, and tenant reform. Raman prioritizes permanent housing and comprehensive services, and investing heavily in alternative crisis-response teams, mental health clinicians, and community-led public safety initiatives to handle non-violent calls.
City Attorney: Incumbent Defeated in Three-Way Split
The biggest upset in city races was Hydee Feldstein Soto, the incumbent, being eliminated for City Attorney after finishing a distant third with roughly 18% of the vote. Feldstein Soto’s term had faced mounting scrutiny from local advocates and journalists over public records disputes and her office's litigation tactics.
The November runoff will be between Marissa Roy, a progressive candidate who led the primary field with 43.1% of the vote, and John McKinney, a tough-on-crime prosecutor who clinched the second general election spot with 28.6%.
Incumbent Watchdog Kenneth Mejia Wins L.A. City Controller Race
While high-profile shakeups and looming runoffs dominated the headlines for the Los Angeles mayoral and city attorney races, the contest for City Controller offered a stark contrast. Incumbent Kenneth Mejia comfortably secured a second term primary election with 63% of the vote, bypassing the need for a November runoff.
Mejia won an outright majority, defeating challenger Zach Sokoloff, a capital management executive who obtained 37% of the vote.
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What do you want to know?
In upcoming issues of The Scene, we will share information on the races including questions sent to the candidates.
What questions do you have for the mayoral and city attorney candidates?
By Debra Shrout