Los Angeles mayoral candidate Nithya Raman terminated a part-time campaign staffer over the weekend ahead of the election, following online remarks that the campaign condemned as reprehensible.
The staffer, Eric Cheng, who served as a liaison between the campaign and digital content creators, posted a video on Instagram discussing a U.S. Senate race. In the recording, Cheng asserted that Michigan Democratic Representative Haley Stevens—who made a surprise endorsement of a Republican in that senate contest—had attempted to “brainwash a lot of the Black vote” in her home state.
The remarks drew swift public condemnation. Political strategist Michael Trujillo, a supporter of incumbent Mayor Karen Bass in the mayoral race, posted on social media Sunday that the comments reflected an ignorance of the African American community on the part of Raman’s campaign and called for an immediate apology.
Within an hour of the public criticism, Raman’s camp issued an apology via social media, stating that Cheng was no longer affiliated with the campaign. Jeff Millman, a political strategist for Raman, confirmed Monday that Cheng had been fired. Cheng declined to comment when reached by reporters.
The staffer dismissal marks the latest controversy over digital media content to hit the mayoral contest in its final stages. Last month, Raman faced criticism after appearing in a video with a social media influencer where she stated “only you can stop fascist liars” before speaking critically of Police Chief Jim McDonnell. Raman subsequently had that video removed, explaining that it had been improperly edited and that her remarks were directed at Donald Trump and immigration agents rather than McDonnell or the mayor. Mayor Bass contended that the video demonstrated Raman was unprepared for citywide office.
Bass also criticized her opponent over separate comments in which Raman referred to the Los Angeles Police Department under former Police Chief Daryl F. Gates as a “gold standard” regarding immigration enforcement. Bass argued that description ignored Gates’ history of mistreating Black and Latino residents. Raman accused Bass of distorting her words, but later issued an apology for invoking Gates’ name during the campaign.
