LOS ANGELES — Mayor Karen Bass and Councilwoman Nithya Raman, both Democrats, advanced to the general election in the city’s mayoral race on Tuesday, setting up a clash between one-time political allies and ending the hopes of reality TV star Spencer Pratt.
With roughly 93% of the vote counted, Bass and Raman led a crowded 14-candidate field with about 34.3% and 28.6%, respectively, according to the Associated Press, concluding a race that drew allegations of voter fraud from President Donald Trump as mail-in ballots were counted for days after the election.
Under California’s jungle primary system, the top two finishers advance to the Nov. 3 runoff if no candidate wins a majority outright.
Trump railed as results came in over the weekend that showed Raman surpassing Pratt, whom the president had supported and whom initially led Raman in the race, prompting Trump to call the election “rigged.”
“No way this could have happened. Rigged Election!” the president wrote in a post to Truth Social early Monday.
Bass enters the general election with vulnerabilities. Despite decades in public office, including service in the state legislature and more than a decade in Congress, she has framed her reelection bid as a call for continued change, arguing she needs more time to address the city’s problems.
She has also faced sustained criticism over her handling of the Palisades fire, particularly for being abroad when it broke out and for the slow pace of rebuilding efforts. More recently, she has drawn backlash for supporting a deal to delay a planned $30 minimum wage increase for hospitality and airport workers until after the 2028 Olympics.
Bass secured a late endorsement from Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), who is term-limited, but he has not campaigned alongside her. She has also picked up endorsements from Sens. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Alex Padilla (D-CA) and former Vice President Kamala Harris.
Bass and Raman were considered political allies for years, often appearing on the same side of major city fights. Bass publicly supported Raman during her bruising 2024 council reelection race, and Raman had backed Bass in her showdown with billionaire developer Rick Caruso two years earlier. That relationship unraveled after Raman entered the mayoral contest in February.
Raman has described her decision to run for mayor as both “unexpected” and “necessary.”
“Over the past few years, I’ve had a growing sense that our city is falling behind,” Raman said. “That feeling sharpened after last January’s fires, the city’s slow response, and the lack of accountability at City Hall.”
She has argued that Los Angeles’s problems extend well beyond wildfire recovery. She has also pointed to lingering public safety concerns, arguing that even as violent crime declines, slow 911 response times have left many residents feeling unsafe.
Pratt, a 42-year-old registered Republican best known for MTV’s The Hills, built his campaign around voter anger over homelessness, crime, and frustration with city leadership following the Palisades fire, which destroyed his home.
He embraced an aggressive digital strategy, leaning heavily on viral clips and anti-establishment messaging, with AI-generated videos depicting Pratt as Batman swooping into a burning Los Angeles or battling Bass with lightsabers, drawing millions of views online. He also gained traction after a commanding performance during the campaign’s first televised debate, where he aggressively challenged the mayor and Raman, who represents the city’s 4th District.
Still, questions about Pratt’s readiness for office dogged him throughout the entire race. Critics pointed to his lack of governing experience, vague policy proposals, and a lawsuit against the city and Department of Water and Power over the wildfire that destroyed his and his parents’ homes in the Pacific Palisades. Some of his proposals, including involuntary psychiatric holds for homeless people, would have likely faced steep legal and logistical barriers.
In the end, his upstart bid was a bridge too far.