The 2026 Los Angeles mayoral election will be held on June 2, 2026, to elect the mayor of Los Angeles, California.[1] If no candidate receives a majority of the vote, a runoff election will be held on November 3, 2026. Incumbent mayor Karen Bass announced her re-election bid in July 2024.[2]
Karen Bass was elected mayor of Los Angeles in 2022, defeating Rick Caruso in the most expensive election in the city's history.[3] Caruso may seek a rematch in the 2026 election.[4] In the wake of the January 2025 Southern California wildfires, Caruso has emerged as a vocal critic of Bass's administration.[5][6] Kenneth Mejia, the Los Angeles City Controller, who has frequently criticized the Bass's budget for FY2024-25 for the large increases to LAPD funding and decrease of LAFD funding, has been floated as a potential contender.[7]
