Nithya Raman embraces Israel boycott amid socialist revolt threatening her mayoral campaign

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Nithya Raman has embraced a boycott of Israel that she once opposed, as her socialist allies threaten to abandon the Los Angeles mayoral candidate just days before the election.

The Democratic Socialists of America’s national leadership narrowly voted 14-13 Monday night to give Raman until Saturday to clarify her full support for the boycott, or risk losing the powerful political group’s endorsement just 48 hours before Election Day.

Raman brushed off the escalating feud Tuesday, dismissing the fight among her socialist allies as “internal political theater.”

“The chapter locally has endorsed me, and I continue to remain, you know, grateful for their support,” Raman told ABC7, adding that the infighting was “not the concern of voters here in Los Angeles.”

Her remarks came just a day after she appeared to embrace the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, known as BDS, which seeks to pressure Israel over its treatment of Palestinians through economic boycotts, withdrawing investments and imposing sanctions.

“I believe the best way for working Angelenos to stand in solidarity with Gaza is through non-violent protest, legislative action, and diplomatic pressure, including BDS,” Raman wrote in a statement submitted to the DSA Monday.

That’s a sharp shift from 2020, when Raman said she did not personally support BDS and opposed local government agencies participating in boycotts against Israel.

The showdown with the DSA comes as Raman battles incumbent Mayor Karen Bass for control of City Hall, with the organization that helped launch Raman’s political career now threatening to turn against her.

DSA’s Los Angeles chapter has helped build Raman’s political operation, supplying volunteers, grassroots organizing and campaign resources that could prove crucial in the tight mayoral race.

Losing that backing in the final days before the Nov. 3 election could deliver a significant blow to her campaign.

At the center of the fight is BDS, a major issue for the socialist organization, which adopted stricter rules in 2025 requiring local chapters to question candidates about their support for the movement before endorsing them.

On Monday, DSA’s National Political Committee approved two resolutions that could ultimately strip Raman of her endorsement or expel her from the organization.

Under the first resolution, Raman faces an Oct. 31 deadline to clarify her positions on Israel and Palestine.

If national leaders aren’t satisfied, they could vote on Sunday to revoke her endorsement.

That would require DSA-LA to remove its endorsement from campaign materials and stop using organizational resources to help elect her.

A second resolution, approved 15-12, opens a separate disciplinary process that could lead to Raman’s expulsion after the election.

Raman defended her changing position by pointing to the war in Gaza.

“Over the last couple of years, I have come to believe strongly that Israel is committing a genocide in Gaza, and I have felt deeply uncomfortable with US tax dollars funding this atrocity,” she wrote.

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