Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has pulled ahead of challenger Councilmember Nithya Raman in direct fundraising for the upcoming Nov. 3 runoff election, according to campaign finance reports released this week.
Bass brought in approximately $3.4 million overall, collecting $827,000 in contributions and taxpayer matching funds during the one-month reporting period that concluded on Oct. 17. Meanwhile, Raman reported bringing in a total of $3 million, which included $485,000 during the final reporting cycle.
Despite Bass holding the advantage in total funds raised, Raman entered the closing stretch of the campaign with a larger cash reserve. Filings showed Raman had nearly $1.4 million on hand for the final days, whereas Bass reported holding about half that amount.
Bass campaign spokesperson Alex Stack said the fundraising figures demonstrate that the mayor holds the momentum in the race. Raman highlighted her own campaign milestone, noting she has received more matching funds than any candidate in city history.
With election day less than two weeks away, the money collected directly by the candidates has been overshadowed by expensive outside campaigns waged by independent expenditure committees. These groups face no donation limits as long as they do not coordinate directly with the campaigns, contrasting with the $1,800 per donor cap imposed on Bass and Raman.
The Western States Regional Council of Carpenters raised more than $10 million as of Thursday for its Estamos Con Nithya committee, which has funded advertisements promoting Raman while criticizing Bass. A significant portion of that total—$6 million—came from Aaron Sosnick, a Reno-based hedge fund manager advocating for an expansion of the city’s bike lane network.
Transportation advocacy group Streets for All has also promoted Raman, spending $1.1 million on dozens of digital ads attacking Bass over her record on homelessness, the Palisades fire, and other municipal issues. Ethics Commission figures show much of that funding originated from Sosnick and two real estate developers.
On the opposing side, a committee sponsored by the Los Angeles Police Protective League spent nearly $4.8 million on advertisements targeting Raman and her record, including her opposition to a law prohibiting homeless encampments near schools. That committee received contributions from the police union and other donors. Bass has also received independent support from the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor and regional building trade unions.
Financial dynamics have been similarly intense in other local municipal contests. In the race to replace City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto, Deputy Attorney General Marissa Roy raised roughly $292,000 in donations and matching funds during the latest period, bringing her runoff total just above $1 million. Her opponent, Deputy District Attorney John McKinney, brought in nearly $150,000 over the same month, lifting his runoff total to nearly $670,000.
Roy held more available funds for the final stretch with about $366,000 on hand, compared to McKinney’s $213,000. Both candidates have drawn substantial outside spending. A coalition of labor unions and nonprofit advocacy groups spent a combined $1.7 million to support Roy through ads and mailers linking McKinney to allies of President Trump. McKinney was bolstered by nearly $2 million in outside spending from business leaders and entities, including developer Rick Caruso, investor Ron Burkle, and property firm Douglas Emmett.
In the west San Fernando Valley race to replace City Councilmember Bob Blumenfield, businessman Tim Gaspar brought in nearly $584,000 during the runoff, outstripping legislative aide Barri Worth Girvan, who reported raising about $287,000. Gaspar maintained about $185,000 in available cash, compared to roughly $72,000 for Worth Girvan.
In South Los Angeles, where candidates vie to replace City Councilmember Curren Price, former legislative aide Jose Ugarte and community organizer Estuardo Mazariegos raised nearly identical amounts of about $350,000 each for the runoff. Mazariegos held nearly $115,000 in cash on hand, while Ugarte reported $43,000. Outside groups have injected over $1 million into committees backing Ugarte, including Airbnb, Uber, the California Apartment Association, and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 18. Meanwhile, independent expenditure campaigns supporting Mazariegos have spent more than $250,000, funded by United Teachers Los Angeles and the political arm of the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment.
