Socialist Challenger Takes on LA Mayor Karen Bass in 2026 Race

By Andrew Rose
America News World
November 17, 2025

A new political fight is heating up in Los Angeles. Rae Huang, a 43-year-old community organizer and member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), has announced she will run for mayor in 2026. She is challenging current Mayor Karen Bass, a Democrat who has been in office since 2022.

Huang made the big announcement on Instagram Saturday. “I am excited and very humbled to announce that I am running for Mayor of Los Angeles, the second largest city in our nation,” she wrote. For over 20 years, Huang has worked on social justice issues. Now she says it’s time to bring real change to City Hall.

Her main goals? Universal housing for all, free public transportation, strong action on climate change, and making life more affordable for working families. These ideas are similar to those of Zohran Mamdani, the new socialist mayor-elect in New York City.

Huang is not holding back. She plans to fight the “establishment” and the “billionaire class.” She has promised not to take any money from big corporations. “Over the past decade, I have worked with Los Angeles organizers and neighbors on solutions for our city. Now it’s time we implement them,” she said.

In an interview with The Los Angeles Times, Huang expressed disappointment in Mayor Bass. She criticized Bass for not doing enough on homelessness and for her handling of political violence over the summer. “We are in a place in our country where folks feel stuck and afraid,” Huang said. “Nothing is going to change, and the things that are changing are making things even worse.”

Huang hopes to get the official support of the local DSA chapter, which recently celebrated Mamdani’s win in New York. While she avoided direct comparisons to Mamdani, her campaign promises mirror his focus on bold, progressive change.

This race is part of a growing trend. Progressive and socialist candidates are challenging longtime Democratic leaders in big cities across America.

Just last week, progressive activist Katie Wilson defeated Seattle’s Democratic Mayor Bruce Harrell. Wilson ran on ideas like government-run grocery stores, higher taxes on the rich, and more affordable housing. Now, the “socialist wave” has reached the West Coast, from New York to Seattle to Los Angeles.

Critics are already speaking out. Political strategist Katie Zacharia slammed Mayor Bass on Fox News @ Night. She accused Bass of ignoring the U.S. Constitution’s Supremacy Clause when she declared Los Angeles a “sanctuary city” and called recent I.C.E. raids “unlawful and unconstitutional.”

Zacharia said Bass is putting politics over the law. “She ignored the Supremacy Clause when she made Los Angeles a sanctuary city,” Zacharia told host Trace Gallagher.

Mayor Bass has not yet responded to Huang’s campaign announcement. Fox News Digital reached out to both Bass’s office and Huang for comment, but no reply has come yet.

The 2026 Los Angeles mayoral election is still over a year away, but the battle lines are already being drawn. Huang represents a new generation of left-wing activists who want to push the Democratic Party further left. Bass, once seen as a top vice presidential pick for Joe Biden in 2020 and praised by Barack Obama, now faces a serious challenge from within her own party.

This race will test how far voters in one of America’s biggest cities are willing to go with socialist ideas. Will they stick with the establishment, or demand radical change?

Across the country, similar battles are playing out. In Houston, the Democratic mayor recently said he and Mamdani are in “different universes.” In Seattle, the incumbent lost to a progressive challenger. Now Los Angeles could be next.

As Huang wrote on Instagram, “This path has led me in these uncertain times to take the unusual path to continue my calling.” Whether that path leads to victory remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: the fight for the future of America’s cities is just getting started.

America News World will keep you updated as this story develops.