Los Angeles mayoral candidate Nithya Raman, once a darling of the Democratic Socialists of America, is abandoning her hard-left positions on police funding and housing policy in what appears to be a last-ditch effort to win over moderate voters—a move that’s enraging her progressive base.
Story Snapshot
- DSA-backed City Councilwoman Nithya Raman reverses course on police budgets after previously voting to slash LAPD hiring
- Raman eases opposition to “mansion tax” reforms despite progressive outcry, prioritizing housing development over ideology
- The policy flip-flops alienate her Democratic Socialists supporters while she faces attacks from GOP challenger Spencer Pratt
- Her pragmatic pivots expose the desperation of establishment politicians willing to abandon principles for electoral advantage
The Progressive Champion Turns Moderate
Nithya Raman entered the 2026 Los Angeles mayoral race as a progressive firebrand backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, having built her City Council career opposing police budgets and championing rent control. Her recent policy reversals tell a different story. After voting in May 2025 to halve police hiring—a core DSA demand—Raman subsequently backed LAPD budget increases, directly contradicting her previous stance. She also worked to ease the so-called “mansion tax” (Measure ULA) that progressive activists fought hard to pass, claiming it was slowing housing development. These abrupt shifts suggest a candidate more concerned with polling numbers than political consistency.
From Defund the Police to Fund the Police
Raman’s reversal on law enforcement funding represents her most glaring policy flip. Between 2022 and 2024, she consistently opposed police pay raises and encampment enforcement, positioning herself as an anti-police progressive in a city struggling with over 75,000 unhoused residents. By 2025, however, she was voting to approve LAPD budgets she had previously denounced. Former colleague Mike Bonin defended her as “not a diehard ideological person” and “very independent,” but voters may see something else: a politician changing positions based on political winds rather than conviction. This undermines the limited-government principle that elected officials should stand by their stated beliefs.
Facing Fire From All Sides
Raman’s moderate pivot hasn’t shielded her from criticism—it’s multiplied it. During an April 2026 mayoral debate, Republican challenger Spencer Pratt eviscerated both Raman and incumbent Mayor Karen Bass over their homelessness policies, with Pratt bluntly warning that Raman’s “treatment-first” approach would result in violence. Conservative commentator Guy Benson labeled the entire “leftie mayor” approach as creating urban “deterioration.” Meanwhile, her DSA allies have censured her for supporting Israel and compromising on core progressive demands. Raman pushed for a 3% rent cap but settled for 4%, lost multiple votes on homelessness ordinances, and now finds herself politically homeless—too moderate for the left, too progressive for the center.
What This Reveals About Political Desperation
Raman’s U-turns expose a broader problem plaguing American politics: politicians who campaign on principles but govern based on expedience. Her transformation from democratic socialist to pragmatic centrist within a single election cycle demonstrates how hollow many political commitments truly are. With incumbent Karen Bass vulnerable due to her handling of the Palisades fires and homelessness crisis, Raman apparently calculated that abandoning her base was worth the gamble to attract broader support. This cynical maneuvering validates the frustration both conservatives and liberals feel toward a political class that treats governing philosophy as merely a marketing strategy. Whether voters reward or punish this opportunism will determine not just Los Angeles’ next mayor, but whether accountability still matters in American elections.
Sources:
LA Times Newsletter – Mayoral candidate Nithya Raman not your garden-variety liberal
Washington Examiner – ‘Leftie mayors do a terrible job’: Guy Benson on Bass, Raman, and Pratt
