Nithya Raman’s performance in the Los Angeles mayoral primary revives claims of “election fraud” from Donald Trump and Elon Musk.
With Indian-origin Nithya Raman now locked in a close race with Republican candidate Spencer Pratt in the Los Angeles mayoral primary, President Donald Trump and Elon Musk have revived their claims of election fraud.
In the latest update on the primary count, Democrats Karen Bass, the incumbent mayor, and Nithya Raman are expected to advance to a runoff, and Pratt is unlikely to make the cut under California’s open primary system.Trump said the election was crooked and that Republican candidates in California were cheated. The Justice Department sent an Assistant US Attorney to monitor the vote count in Los Angeles, while California Attorney General Rob Bonta reassured the public about the integrity of the election.
Elon Musk on Monday shared posts that questioned the outcome as Nithya Raman, initially, was not in a position to race against Pratt.
On Election Day, Raman herself said the initial numbers were not what her campaign had expected. But in a surprising turnaround, she is now in second place in the race.The primary election was held on June 2 and vote counting is still ongoing.
Who is Nithya Raman? ?
- Kerala-born Nithya Raman, 44, is a progressive who dropped a last-minute bomb when she announced she would run for mayor against her ally Karen Bass.
- In 2020, Nithya Raman won her seat on the City Council, defeating the incumbent. She was re-elected in 2024.
- Raman attended Harvard University and MIT and studied urban planning.
- Married to Valli Chandrasekaran, an Indian-origin Hollywood television producer and screenwriter, Raman is the mother of 10-year-old twins.
- Nithya Raman is often compared to New York City Mayor Zohram Mamdani due to their ideology, young age and immigrant background although Raman does not carry Mamdani’s influence among the youth.
The mayor’s race is nonpartisan, so neither candidate had a party identification next to their names on the ballot. The count in California is slow because state law requires a long count. Ballots are mailed to every eligible voter and are counted if they are postmarked by Election Day and arrive at the elections office within seven days.
