Key facts
- Spencer Pratt is gaining ground in the LA mayoral race against Nithya Raman.
- Karen Bass has secured enough votes to advance to the November general election for LA Mayor.
- Steve Hilton leads Xavier Becerra and Tom Steyer in the California governor's race.
- California election results may take weeks to finalize.
- 81% of ballots cast in California were mail-in.
The Los Angeles mayoral race is tightening as Councilwoman Nithya Raman has narrowed former reality star Spencer Pratt's lead. Pratt currently holds a near 6% lead with 163,549 votes compared to Raman's 130,473 votes, according to the latest tabulation on Thursday. Raman gained over 10,000 votes in the latest count, while Pratt gained under 6,000. Incumbent Mayor Karen Bass has already secured enough votes to advance to the November general election. In the California governor's contest, Republican Steve Hilton is leading Democratic candidate Xavier Becerra. Hilton has garnered 1,533,435 votes, while Becerra has 1,470,100. Billionaire Democrat Tom Steyer trails with 1,139,517 votes. If no candidate in the governor's race receives over 50% of the vote, the top two will proceed to a November runoff. California's election results may take weeks to finalize, with 81% of voters having sent their ballots by mail. A bipartisan bill now requires non-problematic votes to be counted within 13 days. Partial election returns show Pratt took large swaths of the Westside and West Valley, Bass locked up South L.A., and Raman showed strength in renter-dominant neighborhoods such as Echo Park. Spencer Pratt's journey from reality television villain to Los Angeles mayoral contender has taken another unexpected turn as the former reality star appears positioned to face incumbent Mayor Karen Bass in a runoff election. Bass, who has served as mayor since 2022 and faced scrutiny over her handling of the devastating LA fires, advanced to a runoff after no candidate secured more than 50% of the vote in Tuesday's primary. The top two vote-getters will now compete in November. Pratt, who is best known for starring on MTV's "The Hills" and has never previously run for political office, is currently running in second place ahead of LA council member Nithya Raman. Pratt said, "God wanted five more months of me exposing all the failures of our mayor, So it's going to be a fun ride. I hope she's ready." When asked if he was ready, Pratt responded, "I mean, I was born for this, clearly." Pratt's mayoral bid was initially met with widespread skepticism, with many observers viewing the TV personality as a long-shot celebrity candidate. However, as his campaign gained traction online, attracted support from high-profile figures and tapped into voter frustration over issues such as public safety, homelessness and wildfire recovery, perceptions began to shift, and national media outlets started treating his candidacy as a serious political effort. In recent weeks, Pratt's unlikely candidacy has continued to gain traction due to several viral campaign ads and widely-praised debate performance against Bass and Raman. From reality television fame and viral social media stardom to his surprisingly competitive mayoral campaign, Pratt has reinvented himself more than once. Now, as he looks poised for a showdown with Bass for the leadership of LA, here's what to know about Pratt. Pratt attended the Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences in Santa Monica. In February, his sister Stephanie slammed Pratt's mayoral run, claiming a vote for him was a "vote for stupidity." Last week, Stephanie revealed that she was now supporting her brother's campaign, stating, "He has spent every day since the fires finding the facts, the mistakes, the negligence, and uncovering the truth that they never wanted us to know." Long before launching a mayoral campaign, Pratt earned a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Southern California (USC) in LA. Late mail ballots have swung toward Raman, giving her the possibility of overtaking Pratt to advance to the general election.