Former Vice President Kamala Harris endorsed Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass for reelection Monday, injecting high-profile national Democrat support into a closely watched race as ballots begin arriving in voters' mailboxes across California.
"Mayor Karen Bass is the leader Los Angeles needs right now. She has done what so many said couldn't be done — the first-ever two-year decline in homelessness, reducing crime to levels this city hasn't seen since the 1960s, and refusing to back down when the federal government came after our neighbors," Harris said in a statement. "She has my full support for reelection."
The endorsement comes just a few weeks before the June 2 primary, with early voting underway in the nation's second-largest city.
Bass, a Democrat elected in 2022, is seeking a second term while facing a broad field of challengers in the officially nonpartisan race, including City Councilmember Nithya Raman and reality television personality Spencer Pratt.
Recent polling has shown Bass leading but without a majority, underscoring the uncertainty of the race and the likelihood that no candidate will clear the threshold needed to avoid a runoff election in November.
The contest has been shaped by major issues including homelessness, public safety, the high cost of living, and the city's response to the devastating 2025 Palisades wildfire, which drew national scrutiny and criticism of Bass' leadership.
Bass has pointed to progress on homelessness and crime as central achievements of her administration, including efforts to move people off the streets and expand public safety resources, while also navigating a significant budget shortfall and recovery from natural disasters.
Political strategists say Harris' endorsement could help consolidate Democrat support in a race where multiple candidates are competing for overlapping constituencies, even as voter dissatisfaction with city leadership remains a factor.
Although Bass holds the highest fundraising total of all the candidates running for Los Angeles mayor, she trails several of her rivals in funds raised since the start of this year.
The mayor entered the final weeks of the campaign with just under $500,000 raised since January, the fourth most, behind Raman with about $530,000, Pratt with about $538,000, and independent candidate Adam Miller, an entrepreneur who raised more than $2.7 million this year.
Harris and Bass have maintained a long-standing political relationship spanning more than two decades, including collaboration on issues such as homelessness and child welfare, and Harris administered Bass' oath of office when she became mayor in 2022.
In addition to backing Bass, Harris on Monday announced endorsements for several other California Democrats seeking statewide office, including Attorney General Rob Bonta, Controller Malia Cohen, and Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, who is running for state treasurer.
The flurry of endorsements comes as California voters begin casting ballots in a series of high-profile races that will shape leadership in Los Angeles and across the state, with Bass now heading into the final phase of her campaign bolstered by support from one of the Democratic Party's most prominent national figures.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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