Karen Bass unleashes on Nithya Raman as awkward video emerges of mayor with Xavier Becerra

Mayor Karen Bass’s campaign fired back at rival Nithya Raman on Election Day Tuesday after the councilwoman seized on an awkward political snub from gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra.

“Nithya Raman is trying to distract from the fact that the state’s next governor has only campaigned with one candidate in this race, and it wasn’t her,” a Bass campaign spokesperson told the California Post.

The campaign’s sharp response came after Raman took to X to highlight Becerra’s apparent refusal to endorse Bass, despite joining the mayor Monday at Homegirl Cafe in LA’s Chinatown for a last-minute get-out-the-vote push.

“It says a lot that future Governor Xavier Becerra refuses to endorse his longtime friend Karen Bass…” Raman posted.

The controversy erupted when an NBC4 reporter asked Becerra why Los Angeles voters should give Bass another four years in office at the Monday event.

Rather than endorse the mayor, Becerra sidestepped the question and urged voters to cast their ballots.

“Well I hope people just go out and vote, that’s the most important thing,” Becerra said.

The reporter pressed again, pointing out that Bass was standing alongside him rather than Raman.

“But again the mayor is standing with you, the mayor is standing with you right now, why should Angelenos vote for the mayor?” the reporter asked.

Becerra again stopped short of an endorsement.

“Karen Bass and I go way, way back. We have known each other for a long, long time and we served together in Congress,” he said.

“You know politics is one thing, friendships are another thing and I hope folks recognize that you can have friendships that far exceed whatever goes on in politics,” Becerra continued.

The exchange fueled speculation that Becerra was settling a political score with Bass for backing his gubernatorial rival, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

Becerra’s reluctance to formally endorse Bass could be political payback for the mayor’s decision to support Villaraigosa last September, sources told The Post.

Veteran pollster John McLaughlin suggested Becerra’s hesitation may have had less to do with revenge and more to do with protecting his own campaign.

“I think he wants to get as many votes as he can on Election Day without having to worry about Karen Bass being a drag on him,” McLaughlin told The Post.

McLaughlin, whose firm conducted The Post’s October mayoral survey, pointed to findings showing a staggering 71.7% of likely Los Angeles voters disapproved of Bass’s job performance.

Sources told The Post on Tuesday that Raman had also sought a campaign appearance with Becerra, but the two never appeared together.

The awkward moment quickly drew mockery from other political figures, including former mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt.

“This is hilariously awkward. Xavier Basura is standing next to Karen Basura and refuses to endorse her, even after being pressed multiple times,” Pratt wrote on X.

Even Becerra’s Republican opponent, Steve Hilton, piled on.

“Did Becerra just put Karen Bass in the friend zone?” Hilton posted, before urging voters to support him instead.

The Election Day sparring unfolded as Bass and Raman battled for control of City Hall in a race that tightened dramatically in the final weeks.

An October Berkeley IGS/Los Angeles Times poll showed the candidates deadlocked at 40% each, with 19% of likely voters undecided — a sharp shift from September, when Raman held an 11-point lead.

Bass has campaigned on expanding her administration’s efforts to reduce homelessness, build affordable housing and strengthen public safety, touting her signature Inside Safe program.

Raman has pledged to cut the number of tents and encampments on city streets by at least 50% before the 2028 Olympics, while promising greater accountability in city spending and stronger tenant protections.

The Post reached out to Raman’s campaign for comment.