Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has significantly outpaced her challenger, Councilmember Nithya Raman, in fundraising for the general election, as revealed by new campaign finance reports.
Bass raised over $510,000 in June, marking the highest monthly total for her reelection campaign. In contrast, Raman collected slightly more than $170,000 within the same timeframe, covering contributions through June 30. These figures were disclosed in filings submitted late Friday.
The mayor’s campaign highlighted that Bass secured over $675,000 in publicly funded matching funds from the city, culminating in a total of more than $1.1 million raised in June. Raman’s team gathered over $500,000 in matching funds during this period. Bass’s team noted she qualified for around $576,000 in matching funds, bringing her total close to $750,000.
“It’s no accident that June was our strongest month of the entire campaign. It shows that Angelenos understand the stakes of this election and are fully invested in winning this race in November,” Bass stated.
In the city’s June 2 mayoral primary, Bass and Raman emerged as the top two candidates, shaping a runoff for the general election on November 3. Initially, former reality TV star Spencer Pratt held a second-place position on election night, but Raman advanced as mail-in votes were tallied and was declared the second-place finisher by the Associated Press on June 8.
Bass advanced to the November runoff after securing first place in the June primary with approximately 34% of the votes. Raman secured 29%, while Pratt received around 26%.
In a statement on Friday, Raman asserted that much of Bass’s financial backing comes from vested interests. Companies such as Airbnb and Douglas Emmett Properties have financially supported Bass. “Corporate landlords and other powerful interests are spending record sums to preserve the status quo,” Raman commented, referring to the millions spent independently during the primary to support Bass.
Raman emphasized, “Los Angeles is not for sale — and our grassroots campaign, powered by thousands of small-dollar donors, will continue to ramp up to deliver the change Angelenos are demanding.”
Bass’s fundraising success is backed by contributions from celebrities, politicians, and business leaders. Director J.J. Abrams and Debra Lee, former CEO of BET, donated the maximum amount of $1,800. L.A. City Councilmembers Imelda Padilla and Heather Hutt contributed smaller amounts, with Hutt giving $500 and Padilla $100.
Raman garnered support from diverse sectors in Los Angeles. Contributions included the maximum amount from Rick Cole, a former aide to City Controller Kenneth Mejia, and a donation from former City Controller Laura Chick, known for critiquing the status quo.
Additionally, Raman received $100 from Jillian Burgos, who was endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America in her run for L.A. City Council but did not win.
The funds raised will be crucial for campaign expenses such as TV and social media ads, direct mailers, and other essentials.
Candidates are prohibited from using primary funds for general election expenditures. In the primary, Bass raised over $3.2 million, while Raman collected just under $1 million. Both candidates received the maximum matching funds of $1,257,000 during the primary.
Bass announced her reelection bid in July 2024, giving her more time to fundraise compared to Raman, who joined the race at the filing deadline in February this year.
Independent expenditure groups, which must not be affiliated with campaigns, favored Bass heavily, spending over $2.5 million in support. These groups spent $1.2 million opposing Raman, with only $88,000 allocated in support of her.