Mainstream California Democrats survived election night, but their brand remains challenged

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When Nithya Raman stepped up to a podium on the night of L.A.’s mayoral primary election, she thanked her supporters for standing up to the “powerful interests” who spent millions of dollars trying to “preserve this city’s broken and unjust status quo.”“At a time when so many people have written Los Angeles off or have lost hope in the future of this incredible city,” the democratic socialist L.A.mayoral hopeful said, “you are proof that Angelenos are hungry for change.”But as election results rolled in, the movement for change was underwhelming, or at least divided.

Incumbent Mayor Karen Bass was in the lead, advancing to the November runoff.That left Raman locked in a battle for a second spot with Republican former reality TV star Spencer Pratt.Bass is one of several high-profile establishment Democrats to emerge on top.

In California’s gubernatorial race, centrist Xavier Becerra, a veteran of the Biden Cabinet, advanced to the runoff after being challenged from the left by billionaire green activist Tom Steyer and Democratic former U.S.Rep.

Katie Porter.Steyer is now behind Steve Hilton, a Republican, and battling to make the runoff.Still reeling from the rise of Donald Trump, Democrats in California and beyond are struggling to figure out the future direction of the party.

California Follow live updates, analysis and highlights from 2026 election day’s key races, such as California governor, Los Angeles mayor, L.A.City Council and more.Some progressives, inspired by Zohran Mamdani’s New York mayoral victory, saw 2026 as an opportunity to move the city further left.

But the results have been mixed in key races, with veteran Democrats like Bass and Becerra eking out leads even as polls show dissatisfaction with status quo politics in California.“This was supposed to be a change revolution, but voters clearly said no to the revolution,” said Sa...