Bass vs. Raman: Who won the Los Angeles mayoral debate

Karen Bass and Nithya Raman faced off in a debate hosted by NBC4 and Telemundo52 in Universal City on Tuesday night. This is the last head-to-head matchup between Los Angeles mayoral candidates before the Nov. 3 election.

Times columnists Lorraine Ali, Gustavo Arellano and Steve Lopez review the highlights and lowlights.

Arellano: Rahman delivered the night’s line from the start, channeling—of all politicians—Ronald Reagan, one of the people you’d least expect from Los Angeles, although he definitely was.

“Is your life better than it was four years ago?” she asked, looking directly into the camera.

For the vast majority of Los Angeles residents, the answer is no.

Until tonight, Rahman had done a good job of delivering a message of hope and change, while current President Bass had repeatedly blemished her record during the disastrous four years of her first term.

But I didn’t hear Raman’s voice tonight—in part because Bass had her on the defensive from her first answer to her final statement.

If we go by forensics, the mayor wins this argument. Unlike Raman, she rarely looked down at her notebook. It was something I’d never noticed about Raman before—either a new nervous tic or a sign that the City Council member seemed unable to speak firmly, which has been a frequent criticism of her.

Bass’s onslaught struck a chord with Rahman multiple times, leading her to speak out to NBC and Telemundo hosts and even tell them to shut up. A whining Raman is not a good Raman and her counselor needs to instill this in her early on.

But Raman’s answers were never meandering or too cryptic, even when she was pressed by an able host. With her lead in most reputable polls, Raman didn’t fail at her job that night — and she cleared that very, very low hurdle.

Bass, meanwhile, needs a knockout. Instead, when a political friend who didn’t care about either candidate texted me after the debate, she won a round. She still has so many rounds to catch up before Election Day — Bass can no longer win solely on points, especially with her opponent now as far ahead as she is.

In her closing remarks, Raman echoed Regan’s cry, saying, “We can’t afford another four years of recession, mismanagement and excuses.” She then pivoted to a positive message, declaring with a smile, “We can be happy and ambitious again.” The more she clings to that optimistic vibe, the better she’ll come across to a base of voters who are tired of the doom and gloom of Los Angeles under Bass.

Meanwhile, Bass’s speech had a funereal tone, beginning by saying, “It has been the honor of my life to serve in the city where I was born and raised.” That’s how you start announcing your retirement, not another four-year term. Let’s see what voters have to say on Election Day.

Lopez: After watching the debate, I don’t think the matter is over yet.

Yes, Raman has been leading in the polls, while Bass is saddled with high negative ratings, the baggage of the Palisades fire and the ongoing challenges of homelessness.

But this debate could have been a fatal blow for Raman, and instead I think Bass won the night, not just because she touted her achievements and responded sharply to criticism, but because she seemed to have a better handle on the moment.

My colleague Lorraine Ali brings up a good point – how many people actually watched this debate? Probably not much, so this hour of back and forth doesn’t affect the scale.

But as already noted, a large proportion of likely voters remain undecided. Maybe that’s because they don’t like any of the candidates. Or maybe they were ready to leave Bath but weren’t sure who Raman really was. If they were watching tonight and looking for answers, I’m not sure they got them.

Raman entered elected office as a darling of the Democratic Socialists of America and was a high-profile member of the Democratic Socialists on the City Council. But even the DSA members of the committee did not support her bid for mayor. In fact, Bass already has the support of 13 of the 15 council members.

So how will Raman build a coalition in a city where mayoral power is shared with the council, where issues like homelessness are jointly responsible for the city and county, and where any progress will be stymied without a strong mayoral relationship between Sacramento and Washington, D.C.?

If she is elected, the council will likely support her because just as the mayor needs the council to get a lot of work done, the council needs the mayor.

But I wanted to know more about who Raman is, and why she’s so erratic (in support of the LAPD, the mansion tax, the Insider Safe Homeless Initiative, etc.), as my colleague David Zahniser reported the other day.

Learning and development can be a good thing. But voters need to know who Raman is, what her vision is for the city and how she expects to lead.

I didn’t get that in this debate. Bass’s first term went against her, but she persevered.

That may depend on whether older voters who are likely to support Bass turn out in greater numbers than younger voters who are likely to support Raman.

But from my perspective, it’s not over yet. Except maybe the Dodgers.

Ali: Raman is leading the polls heading into tonight’s mayoral debate, so her job isn’t as tough as Bass, who is fighting for his political life. Raman just had to keep the mayor off balance and leave her there for an hour. But that didn’t happen.

Bass appeared calm, confident, and in control of the conversation, while Raman appeared less confident, often looking down to check her notes while defending her work on key issues like homelessness (until recently, she chaired the city and the Homeless Commission) and attacking Bass for leaving the city “homeless” during crises like the Palisades and Bloodline fires.

The overall tone of the debate was less intense than when the two candidates met in August, with Spencer Pratt, a former reality TV personality and Republican contender who lost the primary.

But at some points Tuesday, the women’s histories as colleagues and one-time allies told us they were turning on each other.

Bass said Rahman was “not ready for prime time” and that she had a “contemptuous” relationship with voters. Raman continually points to Bass’s failure to address Los Angeles’ homelessness crisis, and does so from the perspective of someone who works closely with the mayor.

There’s also the question of how many people actually watched the debate and whether the candidates’ views would resonate in subsequent clips or memes. Neither contender has the charisma or sparkle of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and as boring as that sounds, charisma counts.

It’s been three weeks since the election, but there’s still not much to get excited about when it comes to mayoral choices on the ballot. This debate does nothing to help the cause or advance the campaign.

Fortunately for Bass, she has the presence of a leader who gives her an advantage over Raman tonight. But besides my fellow columnists Gustavo Arellano and Steve Lopez, is anyone paying attention?