If you were driving around town, you’d think, ‘There’s no mayor, right?'” comedian John Mulaney joked about Los Angeles in 2024. And honestly, this sprawling city of nearly four million people can feel pretty hard to govern—especially in the past year, after the LA wildfires destroyed entire neighborhoods and ICE started targeting the city’s immigrant communities. But that very situation has set the stage for a highly publicized mayoral primary with several key candidates. Here’s a breakdown.

The Progressives

LA’s closest answer to someone like recently elected New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is probably Rae Huang. She’s a Presbyterian minister, a single mom, and the daughter of Taiwanese immigrants. Her platform focuses on creating free public transit and making childcare more accessible.

“Our campaign is built on certain principles and values—mainly that power belongs to the people, and our city’s current system doesn’t include communities affected by the system or everyday Angelenos in the conversation,” a representative for Huang’s campaign told Vogue. They named climate justice group Sunrise Movement LA, decarceration advocacy group La Defensa, and Black Lives Matter LA founder Dr. Melina Abdullah as endorsements the campaign is especially proud of.

But Huang isn’t the only leftist in the race. She’s up against fellow Democrat Nithya Raman, who co-founded the SELAH Neighborhood Homelessness Coalition before serving as executive director of Time’s Up Entertainment. As an LA City Council member representing the 4th District since 2020, Raman has more experience with the ins and outs of local LA government. In 2025, she got the City Council to pass her motion strengthening the city’s rent stabilization ordinance for the first time in 40 years.

Raman has support from celebrities like Mindy Kaling, Adam Scott, and Parks and Recreation creator Michael Schur—which makes sense, since she’s married to comedy writer Vali Chandrasekaran and has been vocal about bringing film and TV production back to LA. But her base goes beyond Hollywood. “I’m proud to be endorsed by tenant organizations like the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment and the Park La Brea Residents Association, and pro-housing groups like Abundant Housing LA and the Housing Action Coalition,” Raman told Vogue in a statement. “Our campaign isn’t funded by corporations. It’s powered by thousands of Angelenos—renters, workers, immigrants, artists, and families who believe this city is worth fighting for. And as mayor, I’ll fight every day to make sure Los Angeles works for and belongs to the people who built it.”

The Incumbent

Karen Bass has had a notable career in US politics. She co-chaired the Congressional Black Caucus for three of her 12 years in Congress and beat mayoral challenger Rick Caruso in November 2022. But her popularity has dropped in recent years—especially since the LA fires, when many Angelenos criticized Bass for not being prepared. In fact, a 2025 LA Times report found that Bass’s office tried to downplay the city and LAFD’s failures in responding to the wildfires. (Bass’s campaign didn’t respond to Vogue’s request for comment.)

The Wildcard

And then there’s Spencer Pratt. Pratt, the former star of The Hills who now sells crystals, has emerged as a conservative candidate for LA mayor. He announced his run exactly one year after he and his wife, Heidi Montag, lost their home in the Palisades fires.

Public figures like LA Lakers governor Jeanie Buss, singer Katharine McPhee, and Donald Trump (as well as the Silver Lake bar Tenants of the Trees) have already backed Pratt, who wants to increase the LAPD’s budget. But some moderate Democrats are also joining his base. One registered Democrat—aA screenwriter from Los Feliz, who asked to remain anonymous, told the independent digital news outlet L.A. Material: “There are small, secret groups forming, but I wouldn’t announce it if I were out to dinner with seven people.”

The unique look of Pratt’s campaign includes aggressive anti-Raman ads on a wall across from Siesta, a popular Silver Lake bar, and a giant billboard in Eagle Rock promising that Pratt would bring “a new golden age for Los Angeles.”

Pratt’s campaign did not respond to Vogue’s request for comment.

The State of the Race

As of Friday, May 29, Bass is polling at 26%, followed by Raman at 25% and Pratt at 22%. It’s still too early to tell if Bass will keep her mayoral title, lose it to Raman’s more progressive vision, or hand over one of Los Angeles’s top positions to a former reality star. But no matter who becomes mayor, LA’s vast and unpredictable political landscape will always feel impossible to sum up—and for some locals, there’s something oddly comforting about that.

Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs about the current LA mayoral race written in a natural conversational tone with clear and direct answers

BeginnerLevel Questions

1 Who are the main candidates in the LA mayoral race right now
The two main candidates are Karen Bass a US Congresswoman and Rick Caruso a billionaire real estate developer They advanced past the primary election

2 When is the election
The general election is on Tuesday November 8 2022 This is the final vote to decide who becomes mayor

3 What does the Mayor of Los Angeles actually do
The mayor is the head of the citys executive branch They manage the city budget oversee city departments propose new laws to the City Council and represent LA on the state and national stage

4 Is this a close race
Yes its very competitive Polls have shown a tight race with both candidates having strong support Its considered one of the most closely watched mayoral races in the country

5 Why is this election so important
LA is facing major crises a severe homelessness crisis rising crime and affordable housing shortages The next mayor will have a huge impact on how the city tackles these problems

IntermediateLevel Questions

6 What is Karen Basss main message or platform
Bass focuses on her experience in government and building coalitions Her key promises include declaring a state of emergency on homelessness increasing funding for affordable housing and reforming the police department while ensuring public safety

7 What is Rick Carusos main message or platform
Caruso runs as an outsider and a problemsolver His main promise is to end homelessness by building safe and clean temporary housing villages He also focuses heavily on hiring more police officers to fight crime and making city hall more efficient

8 What are the biggest differences between Bass and Caruso
The biggest difference is their background and approach Bass is a career politician and progressive Democrat Caruso is a wealthy businessman and a former Republican who recently became a Democrat Bass favors systemic reform while Caruso favors a more aggressive get it done approach

9 How are they funding their campaigns
This is a major story Caruso is largely selffunding his campaign spending tens of millions