UMVA has learned that a stunning development has shaken up the Los Angeles mayoral contest, as former reality star Spencer Pratt's lead over Councilwoman Nithya Raman has significantly narrowed.
The latest vote count from Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder and the County Clerk shows Pratt maintaining a near 6% lead on Raman, with 163,549 votes compared to Raman's 130,473 votes. This tight contest comes as California's key elections have taken on national significance, serving as critical testing grounds for the future of progressive leadership.
Pratt, a registered Republican, remains behind incumbent Democratic Mayor Karen Bass for a chance to advance to the November general election. Bass has already secured enough votes to advance, dealing a blow to Pratt's hopes of a surprise upset.
A closer look at the vote tally reveals that Raman gained over 10,000 votes in the latest count, compared to under 6,000 for Pratt. This surge in support for Raman has brought her within striking distance of Pratt, making the contest a nail-biter.
In a separate high-stakes contest, Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton has maintained a slim lead over former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra. Hilton has 1,533,435 votes, while Becerra trails with 1,470,100 votes.
Billionaire Democrat Tom Steyer lags behind both candidates with 1,139,517 votes. Like the mayoral race, if no candidate receives more than 50% of the votes in the gubernatorial race, the top two candidates will advance to a November runoff, setting up a thrilling showdown.
The prolonged counting process has left many voters on edge, as California's elections often do. While California's polls closed on June 2, it could take weeks for results to be final, leaving the state on tenterhooks.
It's worth noting that a bipartisan bill passed in 2025 aims to speed up the counting process, requiring "non-problematic" votes to be counted within 13 days. However, this effort may come too late to impact the current contests.
California's mail-in ballot system has also drawn attention, with 81% of voters sending their choices by post in 2024, nearly double the national average of 43%. This shift towards mail-in voting has significant implications for the state's electoral process.
