Karen Bass and Nithya Raman have emerged as the leading contenders in the Los Angeles mayoral primary, setting the stage for a November runoff. Meanwhile, Spencer Pratt, known for his reality TV fame, has slipped to third place.
According to Decision Desk HQ, Nithya Raman clinched second place, trailing incumbent Karen Bass, with about 87 percent of the votes counted. Bass leads with 34.68 percent, followed by Raman at 27.12 percent.
Once ahead of Raman, Spencer Pratt garnered 26.69 percent of the vote. His initial lead diminished as the counting of mail-in ballots progressed throughout the week. Bass had already confirmed her spot in the runoff by June 2.
Despite the numbers, Pratt has yet to concede, indicating on Sunday that his campaign might wait until July 6 to ensure all votes are counted.
“Remember everyone… we’re still ahead, and we have until July 6 to keep counting. They’re not the only ones who know where to find votes,” Pratt remarked on Sunday.
CNN highlighted that California’s election process often extends over several days. This is due to the state’s large population and its predominantly mail-in voting system, allowing ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted if received within seven days.
“California elections often take several days to resolve, a function of the nation’s most populous state running a largely mail-in election in which properly postmarked ballots received up to seven days after Election Day can be counted,” noted CNN.
“Votes reported after election night in California tend to shift toward Democrats, as they typically include mail ballots that were cast closer to Election Day itself,” it added.
The Los Angeles mayoral race is non-partisan, but both Karen Bass and Nithya Raman are registered Democrats, while Pratt is a registered Republican.
