Spencer Pratt and Nithya Raman are still fighting for the second spot in a tight mayoral race
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass will advance to the November runoff as she seeks a second term, the Associated Press has projected, but her opponents, former reality TV star Spencer Pratt and Councilmember Nithya Raman, are still battling for the second spot.
Results from the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk early Wednesday morning show Bass leading with about 35% of the vote, followed by Pratt with 30% and Raman 22%. About 63% of the votes have been counted.
“I have devoted my entire life to serving the city that I love, where I was born, and I’m going to continue to do that all the way to victory in November,” Bass said to her supporters.
Bass has served as the mayor of Los Angeles since 2022 and previously served as a member of Congress. She was the first Black woman to serve as a speaker of a state legislative body.
Despite leading in recent polls and receiving endorsements from Gov. Gavin Newsom and former Vice President Kamala Harris, Bass still fought a tight race with challengers Pratt and Raman.
Bass faced widespread criticism last year for being out of the country when destructive wildfires broke out, burning more than 16,000 structures and killing 12 people. Pratt lost his home in the Palisades Fire.
Her term has also been defined by addressing the ongoing homelessness crisis in Los Angeles and the federal immigration raids that followed after the wildfires last year.
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Amid these challenges, Bass explained she has made progress with a decrease in homelessness and a low homicide rate.
“First of all, while the nation’s homelessness went up 18%, we went down 18%,” she said to CBS LA. “The fact that our streets are safer. The fact that we have our streetlights back on, basic city services. Reducing crime to record levels.”
Pratt, a Republican and former star on reality TV show “The Hills,” has vocalized his criticism of Bass, blaming her for the destruction from the wildfires and not doing enough to address homelessness in the city.
“I got in this because as a citizen, I felt like my city failed – myself, my neighbors, my family,” he said. “Mayor Bass has allowed the city to be covered in potholes. We don’t have sidewalks. We don’t have lights.”
A newcomer to politics, Pratt also drew national attention to the race with his supporters sharing viral videos made with artificial intelligence. In an interview with CBS LA, he said he would spend his first 100 days “enforcing the law and making moms feel safe with their kids at parks, in front of their schools.”
Raman, a city councilmember and a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, entered a surprise bid for the mayoral race shortly after endorsing Bass. She campaigned on building more affordable housing and bringing back film and TV jobs to Hollywood.
“A few months ago, this campaign was a long shot,” she said. “No one knew who I was. I was the last to enter this race. We had no institutional backing. But what we did have was a vision for Los Angeles.”
She has also argued that Bass has not made enough progress to address homelessness.
The winner of the election will take on Los Angeles at a time when homelessness and public safety are still issues. The city is also preparing to host the 2028 Olympics.
If no candidate earns more than 50% of the vote, the top two candidates will move on to the runoff election.