Karen Bass Faces Challenges Following Latest Poll Results in LA Mayoral Primary Race

With just over two months remaining until the mayoral primary, a significant portion of Los Angeles residents have expressed dissatisfaction with Mayor Karen Bass, according to a recent poll labeled as “downright devastating.”

Although Mayor Bass remains in the lead among candidates, she currently holds only 25% of voter support. Meanwhile, around 25% of Los Angeles voters are still undecided, as revealed by a Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies/Los Angeles Times survey.

In the meantime, City Councilwoman Nithya Raman, known for her ultra-progressive stance, and reality TV star Spencer Pratt are closing in on Bass, with support levels of 17% and 15%, respectively, according to the poll.

What is more troubling for Bass is her unfavorable rating among constituents.

A majority, 56% of likely voters, have a negative view of the mayor, while 13% remain neutral with no opinion.

“These poll numbers are very discouraging, if not downright devastating, for Karen Bass,” Dan Schnur, a political communications instructor at USC and UC Berkeley, conveyed to ABC7 Eyewitness News.

“She’s running ahead of her opponents only because they are not very well known. That she’s having this much trouble against such a little-known field bodes very, very poorly for her,” he added.

“The only thing saving her at this point is that top-tier candidates who were considering running decided to stay out of the race.”

Bass’s declining support is tied, in part, to her botched handling of the deadly 2025 Palisades Fires that killed at least 31 people and damaged or destroyed roughly 18,000 structures across the region — including the home of mayoral contender Pratt.

Critics say City Hall was slow to respond and mishandled public communication as evacuation orders were issued. Bass was overseas in Ghana when the fires broke out on Jan. 7, 2025, drawing additional scrutiny.

She has also faced questions about whether her office influenced edits to the Los Angeles Fire Department’s after-action report on the Palisades Fire to cast officials in a more favorable light.

The mayoral primary is set for June 2. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, the top two will advance to a November runoff.

Still, history may be on Bass’s side.

“Generally speaking, Angelenos tend to reelect their mayors. You have to go back more than 20 years, to 2005, to find the last mayor, James Hahn, who was not reelected,” Schnur told the network.

“So voters in Los Angeles tend to be pretty forgiving, even if they’re not seeing dramatic progress. But this poll, and this election, isn’t about broader progress on issues like housing and homelessness,” he added.

The first debate of the race took place Monday night, though Bass and Pratt did not take part.

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