On election day, Karen Bass sought to weaken Nithya Raman’s insurgent mayoral campaign by highlighting a series of controversial moments and apparent missteps from her rival’s campaign trail.
Democrats Bass and Raman are competing to become Los Angeles mayor after both advanced past Spencer Pratt in the city’s jungle primary.
The incumbent used one of her final appeals to voters to criticize Raman’s repeated campaign gaffes as the councilmember tried to unseat her.
“Throughout this campaign, Nithya has shown that she is not ready to lead a city as big and complex as Los Angeles,” Bass wrote. “Angelenos deserve a mayor with a clear vision, a proven plan, and the experience to deliver results.”
The video released by Bass featured interviews and debate clips in which Raman appeared to struggle to provide coherent answers to questions.
In one exchange, Raman was asked to name a police chief she admired but was unable to give an immediate response.
Raman later said she had been “in a fugue state” during the debate and could not recall what had taken place.
Bass also criticized Raman for backing a policy associated with former Police Chief Daryl Gates, whom Raman herself has described as “abhorrent and racist.”
Karen Bass (pictured) sought to weaken Nithya Raman’s insurgent campaign on election day by releasing a compilation of the left-wing councilmember’s campaign blunders in the Los Angeles mayoral race
Democrats Bass and Raman (pictured) are facing off after late-counted votes moved Raman ahead of Spencer Pratt in the city’s jungle primary
Raman has previously defended her position by saying she supported Special Order 40, which bars LAPD officers from using a person’s immigration status as the basis for initiating an investigation.
Gates, meanwhile, faced widespread criticism over his response to Los Angeles’ destructive 1992 Rodney King riots, which ultimately led to his resignation.
Raman later reversed course, calling her reference to Gates a “mistake” and saying she had “fumbled” her point, frustrating both progressives and conservatives.
Bass’s video also included a clip that appeared to show Raman referring to both Bass and LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell as “fascist liars.”
Raman has said she was referring instead to Donald Trump and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents as fascists and liars.
“I’m ready to keep building on our progress and delivering for every Angeleno,” Bass said at the conclusion of the video.
The Daily Mail contacted Raman’s campaign for comment.
Bass has also faced criticism over her handling of major Los Angeles issues, including wildfires, homelessness, public safety and the delivery of basic city services.
Bass also criticized Raman for backing a policy associated with former Police Chief Daryl Gates (pictured), whom Raman herself has called “abhorrent and racist”
Polls show Raman has overcome a double-digit deficit in the race with Bass to pull into a neck-and-neck matchup.
Raman launched her candidacy just hours before the filing deadline in February, and she had even endorsed Bass for re-election weeks before.
Bass herself called Raman’s challenge a ‘surprise’ at the time, but Raman surged after defeating former reality TV star Spencer Pratt in the primary election in June and taking Bass to a run-off.
A poll last week from the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies and the LA Times found both Bass and Raman in a tie at 40 percent support each.
Another poll in September from the LA Times gave Raman a surprising 11 point lead over Bass, with most analysts anticipating a tight election when voters head to the ballot box on November 3.
Facing the prospect of being kicked out of office, Bass warned on Sunday that Raman would plunge Los Angeles into anarchy if she is elected.
Bass told supporters that Raman would drive LAPD officers out of the city and trigger federal authorities to meddle in the hosting of the 2028 Olympics.
‘I think four years under Nithya Raman would present a tremendous amount of chaos,’ Bass told the California Post when she voted alongside her family.
Bass has been accused by primary opponent Spencer Pratt (pictured) of failing Los Angeles on many hot topics, including the wildfires, homelessness, public safety and basic services
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She warned Raman’s tenure would be ‘chaos from day one’, and said the socialist’s agenda would upend the city’s safety and policing.
The incumbent mayor cited Raman’s campaign promise to fire LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell if she is elected, which Bass said would cause a wave of officers to follow him out of the department.
‘I don’t think she has a clue what it takes to get a police chief for the nation’s second-largest city,’ Bass said.
‘The minute she would initiate that, you will have officers leaving the department, and confusion sets in anytime they’re gonna sit around and wait to see who is going to lead them.’