u/jonnyshotit

Reverend Rae Huang is a mayoral candidate running in the 2026 LA mayor’s race. She is a progressive housing advocate with a platform that includes fast and free buses, the creation of a public bank, and building permanently affordable social housing.

However, Rae is polling at 3-8%. LA progressives are divided on whether to vote for her or Nithya Raman, a city councilmember with a strong track record of supporting tenants’ rights and housing construction.

The DSA (Democratic Socialists of America) Los Angeles chapter recommended a vote for Raman in its primary voter guide, writing that “we recommend a vote for Raman to ensure a left candidate with a proven track record of delivering for working class Angelenos makes it to the general against Bass.”

The primary election is three weeks from today, so I wanted to ask: by staying in the race, does Rae risk splitting the progressive vote so that we end up with a Bass/Pratt general election?

Rae’s answer: “I do not believe I am splintering the progressive vote… because I would not consider Nithya to be a progressive candidate.”

In my opinion, Rae dropping out of the race would be an incredibly brave decision. She could emerge as a coalition builder, rallying her base to vote for Nithya to ensure that Los Angeles elects a progressive mayor. But Rae doubled down on staying in the race, called Nithya’s progressive qualifications into question, and differentiated herself as advocating for broader systemic overhaul.

I really appreciate Rae for making the time to speak with me, and I’m grateful that she was receptive to answering some tough questions.

I have a ton of thoughts on this election that I’ll be collecting and putting to paper and video soon, so stay tuned. Full endorsements and voter guide coming soon (hopefully next week).

This clip has been edited for length and filler words, and the full video is available on my YouTube channel. We talked about some other stuff, like Measure ULA, public transit, and campaign ethics, so go check it out:

https://youtu.be/DHTgVq5AAjc

Today, we gathered with the families of the victims of a crash that killed three innocent people on Westwood Blvd back in February. Since it bears repeating: these things are not accidents. They are the predictable and preventable consequences of a culture that prioritizes driver convenience over human life.

We need everybody's help to send the message that this crisis requires urgent action. Sign our petition calling for a state of emergency due to traffic violence in Los Angeles: https://ujoin.co/campaigns/4275/actions/public?action_id=6456

Made it onto the first train from Union Station to Wilshire/La Cienega!! Truly humbling to know how much work this took on the part of so many people, many of whom never got to see this dream become a reality. Can’t wait to see Los Angeles to continue to build and grow!

Normally I’m pretty skeptical of folks selling stuff on the train but this guy was chill. Also I’d seen a couple posts about him on Reddit and I was pretty hungry. Bumped into him on the E line train at La Cienega.

Homemade spam masubi, still warm, absolutely delicious. Life is good.

Marched down Wilshire through Macarthur Park and ran into some local celebrities. Was great to experience car-free Wilshire, at least for a bit, and celebrate workers in the process. Last pic is the walkout this morning at Venice High School. The kids are alright!