Fact Check: Did Nithya Raman concede the Los Angeles mayoral race?

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: A viral rumor circulating online claims that Los Angeles mayoral candidate Nithya Raman conceded the race and that her subsequent rise in the vote count is evidence of election fraud.

The claim appears to stem from a June 2 speech that C-SPAN labeled a "concession speech." Let's fact-check the claim.

Claim: Nithya Raman conceded the Los Angeles mayoral race

While votes in the June 2 Los Angeles mayoral primary are still being counted, some social media users and President Donald Trump have questioned the results and suggested fraud may be involved. One such claim came from conservative influencer Rogan O'Handley, known on X as @DC_Draino.

In a June 7 post, he wrote, "Nithya Raman already gave a concession speech. Think about that. Not even she believed it was possible to make the top 2. But greedy machine Dems are still pumping her fake votes to get Spencer out of the top 2. Insane levels of fraud."

According to the latest results released on June 7, incumbent Mayor Karen Bass remains in first place, while City Councilwoman Nithya Raman moved into second place ahead of former reality TV star Spencer Pratt.

Earlier vote counts on election night showed Raman trailing, but additional ballots later changed the standings. The top two candidates will advance to a runoff election on November 3.

On June 8, Trump shared a post on Truth Social from Arizona Representative Abe Hamadeh, who questioned the election results after Raman moved into one of the top two positions. Trump responded by writing, "No way this could have happened. Rigged Election!"

Fact Check: False, No evidence to back the viral claim

The claim is false. Nithya Raman never officially conceded the Los Angeles mayoral race. On election night, before any results had been announced, she delivered a speech that C-SPAN labeled a "concession speech."

However, Raman did not say she had lost the race or that she was ending her campaign.

Instead, she thanked her supporters, campaign staff, and family while noting that many ballots still needed to be counted. "Tonight may not give us a final answer on this race. Many thousands of votes will be counted in the days ahead," she said, making it clear that the outcome remained uncertain.

During the speech, Raman became emotional while thanking her 10-year-old twins for their support. She spoke about her vision for improving the city and creating a better future for families, not about leaving the race.

Although some social media users claimed Raman had conceded, her remarks do not support that interpretation. There is also no concession statement on her campaign’s official social media accounts.

As of June 9, Raman remains a candidate in the mayoral race and is still in contention for one of the two spots in the November runoff election. In California, it is normal for vote counting to continue for days or even weeks after Election Day because state law allows officials time to process mail-in and other ballots.

Therefore, the claim that Raman conceded the race and that her later rise in the vote count proves fraud is false.