Indian American city council member Nithya Raman is entering the final week of her Los Angeles mayoral challenge against incumbent Mayor Karen Bass on three simultaneous fronts: a national socialist leadership split over her stance on Israel, a high-profile rival endorsement from billionaire developer Rick Caruso, and a legal complaint over an AI-generated phone line that mimics her voice. Election day is November 3, and a Raman victory would make her the first Indian American mayor of Los Angeles.

Caruso Backs Bass — and Dismisses Raman on Competence

Billionaire developer Rick Caruso, who lost to Bass in the 2022 mayoral race, announced on Monday that he would cast his ballot for the incumbent. 'For the love of LA, I must put the past behind me because this election must be about our future… I will be casting my ballot for Mayor Karen Bass,' he said in a video posted on X.

When pressed on whether his decision amounted to a vote against Raman, Caruso said: 'No, it's a vote for Bass. I'm voting for her because I think she's going to do a better job than Raman going forward.' He had separately described his reasoning as being 'not so much about ideology, but about competence.'

Bass said she was 'honored to receive his support.' Raman's campaign responded by pointing to an earlier endorsement of her by Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath.

AI Voice Complaint Filed Against Pro-Bass Super PAC

On the same day as the Caruso announcement, the Raman campaign filed complaints with the California Fair Political Practices Commission and the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission against Thrive LA, a super PAC backing Bass. The complaints concern a phone line advertised on signs as 'Nithya Raman Realty,' where callers hear an AI-generated voice speaking in the first person as Raman.

When a reporter called the number, the voice said: 'I'm as imaginary as my campaign promises.' The campaign alleges the line violates state laws on deceptive election media and AI disclosure requirements. The complaints are allegations and have not yet been ruled on.

'It's both sad and illegal for Karen Bass' conservative allies to be cloning Nithya's voice, manufacturing her words, and hiding who is paying for it, all to deceive voters,' campaign spokesperson Liz Garcia said.

Thrive LA executive director Ana Dahan defended the line, telling reporters: 'AI was a tool to express our First Amendment right for political satire. Nobody would believe it's a real human being.'

Notably, this dispute arrives as AI-generated political content faces growing regulatory scrutiny across the United States, making the Los Angeles case an early test of how election authorities respond to voice-cloning complaints.

DSA National Leadership Threatens to Rescind Endorsement Over BDS Stance

Raman also faces pressure from the national leadership of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), in what has been described as a 'socialist civil war.' The DSA's Los Angeles chapter had endorsed her by 937 votes to 484, with 52 abstentions — a solid local mandate. But DSA's National Political Committee is reportedly weighing whether to revoke that support over her position on the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.

Under resolutions approved by the National Political Committee on Monday, the committee will work with the Los Angeles chapter to organise an October 31 meeting with Raman to assess her BDS position. If she fails to 'provide clear and unequivocal commitments,' the committee will vote on whether to rescind the endorsement, a DSA spokesperson confirmed.

A resolution quoted by the Los Angeles Times further states that if Raman has not 'expressed support for BDS and condemned weapon shipments out of LAX' by January 1, the committee will move towards 'a vote on expelling Nithya Raman' from DSA entirely.

'We are disappointed that the members of the NPC passed their resolutions without reading the materials we sent them,' DSA-LA co-chair Leslie Chang told the Times, signalling a visible fracture between local and national DSA structures.

Raman, for her part, has stressed her independence. Describing her governing philosophy to reporters as 'sewer socialism' or 'pothole politics,' she said: 'I just want government to work for the people.'

Polls Show Raman Ahead Heading Into Final Stretch

Despite the multi-front pressure, polling data suggests Raman holds a meaningful lead. A September Berkeley IGS/Los Angeles Times poll placed her at 39% against Bass's 28%, with 33% undecided. A separate Manhattan Institute poll showed her leading 38–32, according to reports.

Raman was born in India and moved to the United States as a child. A win on November 3 would not only oust an incumbent mayor but mark a historic first for Indian Americans in Los Angeles civic leadership. How she navigates the DSA ultimatum, the AI complaint, and the final campaign sprint could determine whether that history is made.