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LOS ANGELES () — A new poll shows Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass in the lead for the June 2 primary, but two people wanting her job aren’t far behind.
The Berkeley IGS/Los Angeles Times poll finds the incumbent mayor at 25%, among likely voters. But, Nithya Raman is in second at 17%, and Spencer Pratt is in third at 14%. Rue Huang and Adam Miller are trailing in the single digits.
More than half of those surveyed view Bass “unfavorably.” Bass has come under widespread criticism for her handling of the devastating Palisades Fire in January of 2025.
Bass’ campaign reacted to the new poll, saying, “It’s clear Angelenos are frustrated by decades of inaction on major issues. This campaign will show that it’s Karen Bass who changed the direction on these issues and that others running responded with reports while Karen Bass took action.”
Of the 10 Los Angeles mayors to have sought a second term since the office’s term became four years in 1925, only two have been denied second terms — John C. Porter in 1929 and James Hahn in 2005.
The primary is June 2. If a candidate doesn’t get more than 50% of the vote, the top two will move on to a November runoff.
Here’s a look at all 14 certified candidates on the 2026 ballot for Los Angeles mayor:
Bryant Acosta
Bryant Acosta is a first-generation American, openly gay Latino and small business owner, according to his campaign website.
“As a Chief Creative Officer, I led multidisciplinary teams, managed multimillion-dollar budgets, built systems that actually work using advanced tech, and helped shape global brands. Outside of corporate leadership, I’ve used culture as a tool for change — bringing communities together through events that center inclusion, amplify marginalized voices, and create safe spaces where minorities are not just welcomed, but celebrated,” Acosta’s website reads.
“I’m running to be the next mayor of Los Angeles because the establishment has failed us! They are corrupt and out of ideas. L.A. deserves better!” he wrote. According to his website, his campaign is focusing on transparency and accountability, restoring affordability and housing stability, among other goals.
Asaad Alnajjar
Asaad Alnajjar is a civil structural professional engineer who has worked for the city of Los Angeles for over 35 years. He currently serves as the city’s engineering manager and is part of the team leading the design and construction of 35 citywide light rail and rapid bus systems.
According to his campaign website, he also led the team for sidewalk repairs in the city for decades.
“Alnajjar currently is the Chair of the Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council’s Safety and Transit Committee, where he works closely since 2005 with LAPD & LAFD and many emergency preparedness organizations,” his site reads. “Alnajjar is currently an active member of the City LA28 team to ensure that LA is ready to welcome the millions of tourists and visitors, which is a big challenge under the current administration and overburdened bureaucracy.”
Alnajjar is running on issues such as homelessness, public safety, budget accountability and more.
“Asaad Alnajjars ‘Engineering a Stronger Los Angeles’ platform replaces political posturing with technical precision. His plan centers on a 90-day fiscal audit, an engineering-led infrastructure overhaul, and a housing-first approach to homelessness. By integrating digital twin technology for traffic and restoring animal shelter funding, Alnajjar aims to modernize city operations while maintaining a ‘Unity through Diversity’ framework that protects communities, religious houses, immigrant rights, LGBTQ+ rights, Angeleno equality and protect youth populations,” his campaign website reads.
Nelson Cheng
According to his campaign Instagram page, Nelson Cheng is running for mayor in response to incumbent Mayor Karen Bass’ “weak response to the L.A. wildfire crisis while homelessness has gone worse.”
“I am running for L.A. Mayor to represent for everyone, especially our young people and scholars, to SLAY (Save L.A. Young). We are on a mission to embrace a vision for LA!” he wrote.
In addition to the homelessness crisis, Cheng is running his campaign on the issues of traffic reduction, rent reduction and METRO improvements, among other topics.
Karen Bass (incumbent)
For her reelection campaign, Mayor Karen Bass is promising to make the city safer and more affordable while positioning herself as a candidate who will take on the Trump administration.
She kicked off her campaign with a rally in December of 2025.
SEE ALSO: LA Mayor Karen Bass launches re-election campaign with rally in downtown
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass formally began her campaign for re-election, promising to make the city safer and more affordable.
At the event, the incumbent touted what she described as her accomplishments in addressing affordability through her Executive Order No. 1, codified into an ordinance earlier this month by the City Council to permanently streamline affordable housing projects; two-year reductions in street homelessness, in part, due to her signature program Inside Safe, and bringing back business to the downtown area via a permanent al fresco initiative and boosting union jobs.
Bass also said the city had made progress in reducing crime and working toward its zero-emissions goal.
“The city I’ve been in my whole life, the city that I love, I feel we have accomplished a lot, but we’re not done,” Bass said. “Until every Palisadian is back home. I will not rest until L.A. is affordable, until one paycheck is enough and families don’t have to double up or triple up. And I will not rest until there are no Angelenos on our streets.”
Her campaign website also touts homicides on track to being the lowest on record since 1968, fire cleanup being the fastest in U.S. history, and the revitalization of the California Film and TV Tax Credit, among other accomplishments during her first term.
Rae Chen Huang
Rae Chen Huang is deputy director of Housing Now California, a coalition of over 150 organizations that fight tenant displacement. She is also a member of the Los Angeles chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, and if elected, would be Los Angeles’ first Asian-American mayor.
READ MORE: Housing advocate Rae Huang announces candidacy for LA mayor
Community organizer and minister Rae Huang formally announced her candidacy for mayor of Los Angeles Sunday, offering voters an option to the left of Mayor Karen Bass and potentially complicating prospects for Bass avoiding a runoff.
Huang, who is also a community organizer and minister, formally announced her candidacy for mayor of Los Angeles last November.
“This campaign is not about me,” Huang said at the time. “It is about us, all of us, all Angelenos, it is about the future that we will and must build together this new season for our city. In this new season, we are going to make housing affordable for all. We are going to make transit free, safe and fast. We are going to make sure that wages and work are dignified.”
According to Huang’s campaign website, if elected, she will usher in a public bank and bring Hollywood back to L.A., expand the city’s unarmed crisis response program and will establish a participatory budgeting process so taxpayers have more say.
Tish Hyman
Grammy-nominated songwriter and entertainer Tish Hyman is running for mayor of Los Angeles on a campaign promising to fix waste, restore safety, bring people indoors and revive L.A., according to her campaign website.
“As your next mayor, I’ll bring common sense to City Hall with balanced budgets, accountable leadership, and smart solutions that work. It’s time to restore Los Angeles to its rightful place in America,” Hyman wrote.
I know what it takes to rise. I’m stepping up because L.A. deserves bold leadership! One that tackles homelessness with strategy, ensures safety, and revitalizes our economy. Let’s make L.A. LIT again, so we can Lead, Inspire, and Thrive together,” the bio on her website reads.
Her campaign focuses on reducing homeless encampments, economic revival in Hollywood, safety and making L.A. the “nightlife capital of America (safely)”, among other issues.
Andrew K. Kim
According to his campaign website, civil rights attorney Andrew K. Kim was born in South Korea and came to the United States with his parents at the age of 14 under a special immigrant category that allows an immigrant visa for working for American troops for over 15 years.
Kim is an attorney and opened a one-man law firm, Law Offices of Andrew Kim, in the mid-Wilshire area of L.A. after passing the California Bar Exam. He has lived and worked in L.A. for over 30 years.
Kim has served as a Los Angeles County Commissioner for the Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Commission and a temporary judge of Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles.
“As Mayor, Andrew Kim will restore accountability in city government, strengthen public safety, and implement practical solutions to reduce homelessness and rebuild economic stability,” his website reads. “Real leadership is measured by outcomes — safer neighborhoods, cleaner streets, and a stronger future for working families.”
Suzy Kim
According to the Office of the City Clerk, Suzy Kim is a mental health professional. Eyewitness News was not able to find a campaign platform or social media accounts for Kim.
John Logsdon
John Logsdon is a Neighborhood Council Boardmember, according to the Office of the City Clerk.
Logsdon has a campaign website, though it features little information about his platform. His social media accounts are also inactive.
He is listed as a board member on the Neighborhood Council of Westchester/Playa website.
Juanita Lopez
According to her campaign website, political scientist Juanita Lopez is running for mayor with a “commitment to bringing fresh perspectives and effective solutions to our city’s most pressing challenges.”
“My experience at the Federal Reserve Bank involved managing multi-million dollar accounts with a strong emphasis on accountability,” her bio on her website reads. “I will prioritize transparency and uphold ethical standards for the people.”
Her campaign is focused on community empowerment, economic transparency and sustainable growth with a cleaner environment for all.
If elected, she also promises to tackle issues such as reinstating the “no-littering law” and reducing the sales tax to 8%.
Adam Miller
Nonprofit executive and entrepreneur Adam Miller describes himself as “a lifelong Democrat with working-class roots who went on to build global organizations” on his campaign website.
At 29 years old, Miller founded his first company, Cornerstone OnDemand, to expand access to education and opportunity through technology. Cornerstone grew in L.A. into the world’s largest education technology company, delivering more than two billion courses to learners in 192 countries, according to his website. In 2021, the company was taken private in a $5.2 billion deal. Miller also helped create FARE – the world’s largest food allergy nonprofit, “helping expand clinical research, advance federal legislation, and support families nationwide.”
Miller calls his campaign “THRIVES” — focusing on transparency, homelessness, rent, innovation, vibrancy, economic mobility and safety.
“Today, too many Angelenos are being priced out, feeling less safe, and losing faith that City Hall can deliver. I believe we can do better — with a clear plan, practical solutions, and leadership that knows how to get things done,” he wrote.
Spencer Pratt
Reality TV star Spencer Pratt is challenging incumbent Mayor Karen Bass in a campaign centered on criticism of the city’s disaster response.
Pratt said he decided to run because of dissatisfaction with the current administration.
SEE ALSO: Reality TV star Spencer Pratt files paperwork to enter Los Angeles mayoral race
Pratt, known for his role on MTV’s “The Hills,” announced last month that he planned to run while marking one year since the Palisades Fire. His home was destroyed in the blaze.
“We have no other choice, so it’s pretty simple. We can’t do four more years of Karen Bass,” he said.
Pratt announced his run on the anniversary of the Palisades Fire, which destroyed his home. He is running his campaign with a focus on criticizing the city government’s response to the fire that destroyed his home.
“I want what everybody wants: quality of life, affordability, you can go on. Everything the mayor has said she wants to do. She’s had four years to do it, and everything is worse,” Pratt said in February.
“Business as usual is a death sentence for Los Angeles, and I’m done waiting for someone to take real action. That’s why I am running for mayor,” he said at an event announcing his candidacy. “But let me be clear, this just isn’t a campaign — this is a mission, and we are going to expose the system. We are going into every dark corner of L.A. politics and disinfecting the city with our light.”
In addition to emergency readiness, he is also campaigning on public safety, small business empowerment and a treatment-first approach to homelessness, according to his campaign website.
Pratt rose to fame in 2007 when he began dating “The Hills” cast member Heidi Montag, and eventually became a regular on the series. The couple married the following year, and they have two children.
He and Montag also appeared on shows including “I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here” and the British version of “Celebrity Big Brother.”
Nithya Raman
Los Angeles City Council member Nithya Raman says she made her last-minute campaign announcement for mayor after growing frustrated with not being able to help her constituents.
READ MORE: Nithya Raman says she’s running for LA mayor after growing frustrated with how city works
City Council member Nithya Raman explained her decision to run for mayor of Los Angeles.
“It gets harder and harder for me to look at them in the face and to say, ‘I can’t fix your streetlight for a year.’ I don’t think that’s an acceptable answer,” Raman told Eyewitness News in February. “I’ve hit up against my limitations as a council member. I’ve done a lot, but to do what needs to be done at this moment, to make sure departments are doing their job, to make sure that we’re organized to face the incredible moment of crisis and challenge that we’re at right now, we need to be doing something differently at the very top.”
Despite Raman working closely with Bass on homelessness and housing, Raman says Los Angeles is reaching a tipping point. Pointing to families being priced out, housing not being built fast enough, and what she describes as a city government that sometimes struggles to deliver on the basics.
Raman has served on the council for five years, and some have called her the next Zohran Mamdani, the mayor of New York City.
Although she’s a member of Democratic Socialists of America, or DSA, Raman points out the district she leads, which includes portions of the San Fernando Valley, Hollywood Hills and Silver Lake, is far from the most progressive in the city. She believes she’s been an independent voice on the council.
“Los Angeles is a special place with incredible people. This campaign is about honoring what this city has given us – and giving back what it deserves,” Raman wrote on her campaign website.
Andrej A. Selivra
Born in Santa Monica, Andrej A. Selivra is a 2nd-generation Ukrainian-American and political science graduate from UCLA with a 15-year career in technical project development, according to his campaign website.
“I see the challenges of Los Angeles as a long and growing series of complex, unsolved problems, failed to be adequately addressed by previous leadership,” he wrote. “I want to use my 15-years’ professional experience in planning, managing, and solving complex technical problems for large multi-national organizations to help my Home and City of Los Angeles.”
Selivra’s campaign focuses on creating housing, improving transportation and empowering the community. Part of his homelessness solution includes building L.A. city public dormitories and addressing the rising cost of rent.
City News Service contributed to this report.
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