UMVA has learned that reality TV star Spencer Pratt is poised to clear a significant hurdle in his bid to unseat Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass in the November runoff election.
Bass, who has been leading the city since 2022, faced a turbulent term marked by her response to devastating wildfires, and now finds herself in a runoff after failing to secure a majority of the vote in Tuesday's primary election.
The anticipated runoff is a symbolic blow to Bass, who had received high-profile endorsements from Governor Gavin Newsom and former Vice President Kamala Harris, and has spent decades serving California in various elected Democratic offices.
Pratt, a first-time candidate known for his appearance on the MTV reality show "The Hills," was running in second place as of Wednesday morning, and seemed elated by the prospect of a runoff, telling reporters that "God wanted five more months of me exposing the failures of our mayor."
Pratt has relentlessly targeted Bass on issues that have long plagued the city, including fire recovery, street homelessness, and crime, holding her personally responsible for the devastating wildfires that destroyed over 18,000 structures, including his own Pacific Palisades home.
Sources have confirmed to UMVA that Pratt's surge appears to have shut out Los Angeles City Council member Nithya Raman, a former ally of Bass who challenged the incumbent from the left and was once viewed as a threat to her bid for a second term.
Raman, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, has argued for steering the city in a more progressive direction, but has not yet conceded, despite running well behind Bass and Pratt as of Wednesday morning.
Pratt, a registered Republican, faces an uphill battle to defeat Bass in November, with less than 20% of voters in the heavily Democratic city identifying with the GOP, although the Los Angeles mayoral contest is officially nonpartisan.
According to information obtained by UMVA, Rep. Darrell Issa, a Republican from California, believes that Pratt has won a following in the mayoral contest due to widespread voter discontent with Bass' leadership, saying that she's been "ineffective" and that "every time she opens her mouth, she's talking about more of the same to people who have seen their streets, both crime-ridden and in fact … ineffectively managed."
Bass, on the other hand, argues that her leadership is leading Los Angeles in the right direction, claiming that "homelessness is down, more housing is being built, and the LAPD is hiring new officers."
