Former reality television personality Spencer Pratt has been eliminated from the Los Angeles mayoral race. Incumbent Mayor Karen Bass and progressive city council member Nithya Raman will advance to the November runoff following the June 2 nonpartisan primary. The election is a critical referendum on the city’s handling of its severe homelessness epidemic, emergency response infrastructure, and rising rent prices.
The Associated Press called the race on June 8 after days of processing mail-in ballots. Pratt ultimately secured approximately 25.8% of the vote, dropping to third place. He held a commanding early lead on Election Day, but California’s mail-in ballot counting process steadily erased his advantage. Election data showed a surge of late-arriving mail-in ballots from Democratic voters, which overwhelmingly favored Bass and Raman in the final days of the count.
Pratt, a Republican best known for his appearances on MTV, pushed unsubstantiated election conspiracy theories on social media upon slipping into third place. He claimed his opponents knew where to find votes and suggested the results were irregular. Pratt launched his political campaign channeling anti-establishment anger after his Pacific Palisades home was destroyed in the 2025 wildfires, according to The Guardian.
The Bass campaign immediately pivoted to attack her new runoff opponent. Douglas Herman, a strategist for Bass, released a statement declaring the incumbent looks forward to winning against Raman. He specifically criticized the progressive challenger for allowing encampments near schools and cutting the police force, as verified by the Associated Press.
The upcoming November runoff carries historic weight for the city. Bass is the first Black woman to serve as mayor of Los Angeles, and Raman would be the first South Asian woman to hold the office if elected.