Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass failed to secure a majority in Tuesday’s municipal primary, pushing her into a November runoff against Spencer Pratt, a first-time candidate and former star of the MTV reality show “The Hills.”
No candidate in the 14-way race cleared the 50% threshold required to win outright. Pratt, a registered Republican, held second place in early returns as of Wednesday morning, according to results tracked by the Associated Press.
The outcome is a significant blow to Bass, who entered the race backed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, former Vice President Kamala Harris, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and the city’s most powerful labor unions.
Pratt has made Bass’s response to the January 2025 Palisades Fire the centerpiece of his campaign. The fire killed 12 people and destroyed more than 18,000 structures across the city, including Pratt’s own Pacific Palisades home. Bass was traveling in Ghana as part of a presidential delegation when the blaze ignited.
“I got in this because as a citizen, I felt like my city failed, myself, my neighbors, my family,” Pratt told reporters Tuesday night outside the restaurant where supporters gathered. “I’m an Angeleno who said ‘Enough is enough.'”
Asked about facing Bass one-on-one in November, Pratt was direct. “This is not a candidate that I’m too concerned about,” he said.
The result also appears to have shut out Nithya Raman, a progressive city council member and former Bass ally who ran from the left with backing from the Democratic Socialists of America. Raman had not conceded as of Wednesday morning despite trailing both candidates by a wide margin.
President Trump offered Pratt a qualified nod earlier in the campaign. “I heard he’s a big MAGA person,” Trump said. That association carries risk in a city where Republicans account for fewer than 15% of registered voters and Trump remains deeply unpopular outside his base.
Bass has argued her administration is producing results, pointing to a decline in homelessness and a historically low homicide rate. “Los Angeles is at a turning point,” her campaign says.
But the broader trajectory is hard to spin. Los Angeles County lost roughly 54,000 residents between July 2024 and July 2025, the largest numeric population drop of any county in the country, according to federal data. Complaints about the cost of living, persistent homelessness, and pocked streets remain a constant refrain among voters.
The city is also preparing to host World Cup matches starting this month, followed by the 2028 Summer Olympics. Federal officials have already raised concerns about whether the LAPD will have sufficient staffing and funding to meet its security obligations for the Games.
The November runoff will be a citywide vote between the two top primary finishers.
