Socialist Nithya Raman faced loud groans and hisses from a crowd of Democrats during the Los Angeles mayoral debate after she fumbled while explaining her decision to hire the political consulting firm behind disgraced former Senate candidate Graham Platner’s campaign. After winning the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Maine, Platner dropped out of the race in July due to sexual misconduct allegations and controversy over his inflammatory statements and a chest tattoo resembling a well-known Nazi symbol.

During the debate, Raman faced questions about her decision to hire Fight Agency, the same consulting firm that managed Platner’s campaign. She responded by stating she hired an advertising agency to make her paid ads, which also worked with Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s successful campaign. The crowd broke into loud moans and some hissed at Raman’s response. Despite this, Raman defended her decision, emphasizing the importance of hiring good people for her team and winning the race.

Raman criticized incumbent Mayor Karen Bass over a recent case where an advisor to Bass simultaneously did crisis communications work for a company facing scrutiny over a major Los Angeles warehouse fire, raising concerns about potential conflicts of interest. The moderator turned to Bass and asked if it was a good look, to which she responded “Absolutely not.” Raman’s fumbled answer during the debate drew negative reactions from the Democratic audience in Los Angeles.

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