Spencer Pratt, a Republican and former reality television personality from “The Hills,” is officially out of the running to become the next mayor of Los Angeles after progressive city council member Nithya Raman has advanced to a November runoff against current Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
His candidacy had drawn national attention because of his celebrity and willingness to challenge liberal governance in a city dominated by Democrats, but the buzz did not translate into enough votes to make the runoff, despite leading Raman for much of the race.
Pratt launched his viral campaign on the one-year anniversary of the devastating Palisades fire in January, ultimately securing roughly 26% of the vote, according to NBC News. Democratic incumbent Karen Bass secured her spot in the runoff on primary election night, coming in at 34.3%, and progressive councilwoman Nithya Raman surged in the 11th hour to second place with 28.5%.
However, Pratt had a roughly eight-point lead over Raman on election night. However, nearly a week later, Raman enjoyed over a six-point surge while Pratt fell behind by several points. Bass’ vote share barely shifted as the mail-in ballots were being counted.
Historically, it’s been typical for California to take days, and sometimes weeks, to finalize election results due to the prevalence of mail-in ballots.
However, Raman’s sudden surge raised questions for many onlookers, including Pratt.
Pratt himself joked about the narrow margins and the abrupt electoral shift over the weekend, hinting at a recent case of election fraud.
“43,000, huh?” Pratt asked, referring to the swing in favor of Raman.
“Where have I seen that number before…?”
"A net swing of more than 43,000 votes since Tuesday.."
43,000, huh? Where have I seen that number before…?
Probably nothing. 🤷 https://t.co/W2E3k6PHyR pic.twitter.com/ZfzHCy9enb
— Spencer Pratt (@spencerpratt) June 8, 2026
Pratt’s post displayed a screenshot noting that roughly 43,700 people “experienced homelessness” on any given night in Los Angeles.
“Probably nothing,” Pratt added.
Pratt’s speculation isn’t completely out of left field.
Just weeks earlier, a California woman named Brenda Lee Brown Armstrong agreed to a plea deal after she was charged with paying people to register to vote. This included homeless people she encountered on Skid Row, according to the Department of Justice.
The sudden shift even caught the attention of President Trump, who addressed it during a contentious interview with NBC’s Kristen Welker.
“They’re dropping fast because it’s a rigged election…” Trump said of Republicans’ performance in the recent California elections.
“They’re cheating on the election. All I have to do is look.”
“Do you think it’s appropriate that they have an election and five days later they’re nowhere close to picking a winner?” Trump added.
“They’re crooked, just like you’re crooked.”
.@POTUS bodies @kwelkernbc on California's pathetic excuse for an election system:
"Do you think it's appropriate that they have an election and five days later they're nowhere close to picking a winner!? They're crooked — just like you're crooked." pic.twitter.com/a4gwNUm7gC
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) June 7, 2026
No Republican has won a mayor’s race in Los Angeles since 1997.