OAN Staff Lillian Mann
11:02 AM – Tuesday, May 5, 2026
Former Vice President Kamala Harris has endorsed Karen Bass in her bid for reelection in Los Angeles, the second-largest city in the United States.
Kamala Harris, who now lives in Malibu, weighed in as ballots began arriving in residents’ mailboxes.
“She has my full support for re-election,” Harris said when talking about Bass (D-Calif.).
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Despite leading in the polls, Bass has faced significant criticism over her handling of last year’s Palisades Fire, with reports alleging she either directed or influenced changes to an official after-action report.
“She has done what so many said couldn’t be done – the first ever two-year decline in homelessness, reducing crime levels this city hasn’t seen since the 1960s, and refusing to back down when the federal government came after our neighbors,” Harris said in a statement on Monday.
Furthermore, political strategists say the numbers are troubling for the incumbent because she is facing lesser known rivals.
A majority of Los Angeles citizens view her unfavorably, while 13% have no opinion, according to a March poll led by UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies.
City councilmember Nithya Raman (D-Calif.) had the backing of 17%, while conservative reality TV personality Spencer Pratt (R-Calif.) had 14%.
While Harris stayed on the sidelines of the high-stakes gubernatorial primary, she still weighed in on several other key California races.
She backed a slate of Democrat allies, endorsing Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis (D-Calif.) in her bid for state treasurer, as well as incumbents Attorney General (D-Calif.) and State Controller Malia Cohen (D-Calif.)
Harris declined to choose between longtime colleagues Katie Porter (D-Calif.) and Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.) in the California gubernatorial race to succeed Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.).
Although Karen Bass and Kamala Harris were rivals for selection as former President Joe Biden’s running mate in 2020, the two Democrats have known each other for more than two decades. Bass, then in her first term in office, was sworn in as mayor while Harris was still serving as vice president.
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