Nithya Raman, a Democratic Socialists of America-backed Los Angeles City Council member, is projected to defeat incumbent Mayor Karen Bass

Nithya Raman, a Democratic Socialists of America-backed Los Angeles City Council member, is projected to defeat incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, NBC News reported Thursday, marking a major political shift in the nation’s second-largest city. Raman, 45, had 429,450 votes, or 52.1%, compared with Bass’ 394,796 votes, or 47.9%, with about 76% of expected ballots counted. Raman’s lead grew from roughly 26,000 votes Wednesday night to nearly 35,000 in Thursday’s latest update.