Magic Johnson endorses Karen Bass in LA mayoral race

Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson on Sunday endorsed the city’s Democratic mayor, Karen Bass, for a second term in office. In a video Bass shared to the social platform X, Johnson said that he has known the mayor for three decades and touted her work to reduce homelessness and violent crime and build more affordable housing. In 2025, unsheltered homelessness in Los Angeles decreased by 7.9 percent and sheltered homelessness increased by 4.7 percent relative to the prior year, according to the city’s Homeless Services Authority. The homicide rate in the city also dropped by 19 percent from 2024 to 2025, with the number of homicides at its lowest mark since 1966, Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said in February. “She’s doing a tremendous job. Mayor Bass has to have a second term and I’m excited to say that,” Johnson, who played for the Lakers from 1979 to 1991 and for 32 games in 1996 — nearly five years after he first retired from the sport when he was diagnosed with HIV. Bass, the mayor since December 2022, is seeking a second term against a crowded field of challengers. Among those challengers are Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman, a democratic socialist, and reality TV star Spencer Pratt, a Republican who has sharply criticized Bass for her response to wildfires in the area last year. Later in the video she released, Bass joined Johnson on camera, hugging him and thanking him for the support. Johnson, a longtime Democrat who backed former Vice President Kamala Harris in her 2024 presidential bid, then told Bass that “all of us appreciate” her work in city hall. “We look forward to helping you continue your mission and the things that you have in store, your vision for the city and I’m on board,” the retired hoops star told the mayor. But one person who is seemingly not on board with Bass’s reelection bid is Los Angeles Lakers minority owner Jeanie Buss, whom Johnson has long referred to as his “sister.” KTTV in Los Angeles reported last month that Buss donated $1,800 to Pratt’s campaign. She has not, however, publicly backed the Republican candidate. A poll conducted in March by the University of California, Berkeley, and the Los Angeles Times found that a quarter of respondents backed Bass in the race, with 17 percent backing Raman and 14 percent backing Pratt. Roughly a quarter of respondents were undecided. Early voting in the nonpartisan mayoral primary is set for May 23 through June 1, with voting ending on June 2. Unless one candidate receives more than 50 percent of the primary vote, the top two finishers, regardless of party, will advance to the general election in November. Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.