Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has significantly outpaced her election challenger, Councilmember Nithya Raman, in fundraising efforts, according to new campaign finance reports. During the first fundraising period of the general election, Bass collected over $510,000 in June, marking the highest monthly haul of her reelection bid. In contrast, Raman raised slightly over $170,000 for the same period.
In addition to personal contributions, Bass qualified for an impressive $675,000 in public matching funds offered by the city, boosting her total funds raised in June to over $1.1 million. Raman’s campaign secured over $500,000 in matching funds during this fundraising phase.
Bass expressed confidence in her campaign’s momentum, citing the strong financial support as a reflection of the electorate’s understanding of the election’s stakes. The mayor and Raman secured the top two positions in the city’s June 2 mayoral primary, preparing for a runoff election scheduled for November 3. Bass led the primary with around 34% of the vote, while Raman followed with 29%. Former reality TV star Spencer Pratt initially appeared in second place but fell behind Raman as more ballots were counted.
Raman’s campaign criticized Bass for receiving substantial financial backing from entities like Airbnb and Douglas Emmett Properties, insinuating that these vested interests are attempting to maintain existing power structures. Contrastively, Raman’s grassroots campaign has been powered by numerous small-dollar donors.
Among Bass’s notable contributors are influential figures such as Director J.J. Abrams and Debra Lee, the former CEO of BET. Contributions from politicians include L.A. City Councilmembers Imelda Padilla and Heather Hutt. Raman’s contributions have varied, with support coming from individuals like Rick Cole, an aide to City Controller Kenneth Mejia, and Laura Chick, a former City Controller known for her outspoken criticism of the status quo. The campaign funds will be crucial for ad spending across television, social media, and direct mail campaigns.
A distinction in campaign finance rules prohibits candidates from utilizing primary raised funds for general election expenses. Prior to the primary, Bass had raised over $3.2 million, augmented by independent expenditure groups spending more than $2.5 million in her favor. These groups ran over $1.2 million in opposition to Raman, while support for Raman accounted for merely $88,000.