Los Angeles mayoral candidate Nithya Raman listens to a Los Angeles Department of Water and Power ratepayer speak during a news conference addressing concerns over high utility bills in North Hollywood, California, US, Oct. 19, 2026. Photo: REUTERS/Daniel Cole

The Democratic Socialist of America (DSA)’s national leaders are considering stripping the endorsement of Los Angeles mayoral candidate Nithya Raman amid disputes over her positions on Israel; the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement; and Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on the Jewish state.

According to multiple reports, national DSA leaders are scrutinizing the LA chapter’s endorsement of Raman, arguing that the local organization failed to follow required procedures by not asking her about her position on the BDS movement.

The tumult comes after sub-committees within the organization, the Reform & Revolution and Bread & Roses, issued a statement criticizing Raman’s positions on “Palestine” and calling for a more stringent review of potential endorsees.

Among their gripes are that Raman supposedly “sought the endorsement of Democrats for Israel–Los Angeles in 2020, telling them she does not support BDS and believes in Israel’s right to exist, and accepted it in 2023,” and that she “voted for Los Angeles to adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism, which is used to attack criticisms of Zionism and Israel.” The groups also criticized her for rejecting “national DSA’s public statement after October 7th, 2023.”

“These are Zionist positions,” the statement read.

DSA’s National Political Committee subsequently confirmed that the LA chapter failed to evaluate Raman’s position on BDS before issuing a formal endorsement.

The controversy surfaced after Raman clarified during a recent sit-down discussion catered to the Los Angeles Jewish community that although she perceives BDS as a “legitimate form of peaceful protest,” BDS is not a part of her platform.

“I want to just say that I think boycott, divestment, and sanctions is a legitimate form of peaceful protest,” Raman said during the event. “I support people’s right to free protest. It is the hallmark of America, and the First Amendment right to peaceful protest is really important, and I will fight for that right.”

The BDS movement seeks to isolate Israel from the international community as a step toward its eventual elimination. Leaders of the movement have repeatedly stated their goal is to destroy the world’s only Jewish state.

During that same discussion, Raman, a member of DSA, reaffirmed her previously stated belief that Israel has committed “genocide” in Gaza, although she conceded that she is not an “expert” on the issue. She stated that she looked to “international experts, Israeli experts” when deciding to apply the term to Israel’s military campaign against Hamas

DSA has proved critical in Raman’s political ascendance in Los Angeles. In 2020, she leaned on DSA to secure a victory in the local city council elections. Losing the endorsement of DSA could result in the removal of the organization’s expansive volunteer network mere weeks before the election.

Raman has also faced condemnation for her appearance alongside far-left anti-Israel streamer Hasan Piker in June ahead of the primary election. Piker has previously expressed explicit support for Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, all US-designated terrorist organizations. He has also compared supporters of Israel to Nazis.

“Raman is not a socialist, and from an objective standpoint she has always had a tenuous relationship with DSA-LA at best. She does not publicly call herself a socialist or advocate for socialism. Apart from DSA-LA’s endorsement, neither socialism nor DSA appear in her campaign’s material,” the Reform & Revolution statement read.

The Los Angeles chapter defended Raman, saying that her positions on Israel and the Palestinians have “evolved significantly” and that their failure to vet her stance on BDS was a mere “oversight.”

However, the DSA committee’s critical of Raman dismissed the efforts of DSA-LA to stand behind the Democratic candidate, writing that “the actual political positions Raman publicly holds have not changed.”

The controversy highlights a widening divide within the socialist movement over whether candidates who disagree with its positions on Israel should continue to receive the organization’s political backing. The organization publicly broke with US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) in 2024, citing what they deemed an unacceptable record on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The latest dispute raises questions about the extent to which the DSA’s endorsement process is shaped by its position on Israel, even when candidates share the organization’s priorities on domestic issues.

The DSA, which counts members of the US Congress among its ranks, has previously opposed American military aid to Israel and expressed support for Iran and its terrorist proxies, including Hamas and Hezbollah. The organization has repeatedly accused Israel of “genocide” and issued praise of the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacre throughout southern Israel. The group outlines the complete destruction of Israel as one of its primary goals.

Last year, the national DSA organization passed a resolution at its major convention stating that various actions in support of Israel, such as “making statements that ‘Israel has a right to defend itself'” and “endorsing statements equating anti-Zionism with antisemitism,” will now be considered an “expellable offense,” subject to a vote by the DSA’s National Political Committee.

Raman has also encountered disagreements with DSA members over policing, housing development, and changes to Los Angeles’s mansion tax. Those disputes underscore tensions between elected officials navigating the practical demands of governing and activists seeking stricter adherence to the organization’s platform.

The endorsement dispute could affect Raman’s relationship with the DSA’s grassroots network, including volunteers and organizers. It also places renewed attention on the role of Israel policy in local Democratic politics, where disagreements over the conflict have become a source of friction within progressive coalitions.

Nonetheless, Raman is considered the frontrunner in the race against incumbent Mayor Karen Bass and multiple polls show the challenger ahead by double digits.