Nithya Raman’s LA mayor bid plunges into chaos as civil war breaks out among Marxist backers

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Nithya Raman’s Los Angeles mayoral bid has been plunged into chaos as the Democratic Socialists of America mull expelling her — just two weeks before the election.

Two Marxist factions within the party have challenged the councilwoman’s endorsement over longstanding fights over Israel, Palestine and how closely she must follow their political creed.

The groups, Reform & Revolution and Bread & Roses, joined forces to call for stricter political standards and accountability from candidates who get DSA backing.

They introduced a resolution demanding that Raman answer questions about her positions on Israel and Palestine or potentially face expulsion.

The proposal, submitted to the organization’s National Political Committee, calls for a members-only meeting by Oct. 25, preferably with Raman present.

If national leaders determine her positions remain incompatible with DSA’s anti-Zionist principles, they could vote to expel her.

The rebellion comes just weeks after DSA’s Los Angeles chapter endorsed Raman in her campaign to unseat Mayor Karen Bass in the Nov. 3 election.

But that endorsement was hardly unanimous. Of the 1,473 members who cast ballots in September, 937 supported Raman, while 484 opposed her and 52 abstained.

That means Raman secured roughly 64% of the vote, while more than one-third of participating members either opposed her endorsement or declined to support it.

Raman has frequently drawn comparisons to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, another DSA-backed politician who rose to prominence with support from the socialist movement.

But Reform & Revolution says there is a major difference: Mamdani openly embraced the organization’s anti-Zionist positions and campaigned on them, while Raman has publicly distanced herself from key parts of the DSA’s agenda.

The group pointed to Mamdani as an example of a candidate whose political positions aligned with the socialist organization backing him.

In its October 19 statement, Reform & Revolution accused the Los Angeles chapter of violating national endorsement requirements and said Raman’s political positions conflict with the organization’s socialist agenda.

“Raman is not a socialist,” the caucus stated, arguing that she neither publicly identifies as one nor advocates for socialism.

The group also questioned whether Raman views DSA as anything more than another political ally in her campaign.

The confrontation follows years of friction between Raman and the organization.

In 2024, DSA-LA formally censured Raman over her relationship with Democrats for Israel-Los Angeles, a pro-Israel political organization whose endorsement she accepted. The chapter nevertheless maintained its support for her City Council reelection campaign.

Raman also publicly broke with national DSA over its response to the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel.

The latest dispute centers on a national DSA policy known as Resolution 22, which establishes requirements concerning the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, or BDS, an international campaign seeking to pressure Israel over its treatment of Palestinians.

Reform & Revolution alleges DSA-LA failed to question Raman about BDS before endorsing her mayoral campaign, despite her previous opposition to the movement.

Under the organization’s rules, members who consistently and publicly oppose BDS and Palestinian liberation can face expulsion through a two-thirds vote of its National Political Committee.

The proposal stops short of demanding immediate removal, instead offering Raman an opportunity to explain or change her positions.

The dispute also exposes a larger power struggle between national socialist activists and the Los Angeles chapter, which has defended Raman despite her disagreements with the organization.

According to Reform & Revolution, national leaders previously questioned DSA-LA about Raman’s endorsement. The local chapter defended her compliance with organizational rules, but the caucus rejected that explanation.

The Post reached out to Bread & Roses and Reform & Revolution for comment.

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