The Los Angeles mayoral race is reaching a fever pitch as three leading candidates find themselves in a near deadlock with less than a week remaining before the election.
According to a recent UC Berkeley–Los Angeles Times poll released on Thursday, far-left Councilwoman Nithya Raman has quickly gained ground, trailing incumbent Mayor Karen Bass by a mere percentage point. Raman, who entered the race later than her competitors, now holds 25% support, just behind Bass’s 26%, reflecting a slight dip in Bass’s previously steady numbers.
Adding to the competitive landscape is reality TV star Spencer Pratt, known for his role in “The Hills.” Pratt has captured 22% of likely voter support, buoyed by his entry into the race following the loss of his home in the devastating Palisades Fire in January 2025.
Both Raman and Pratt have experienced significant surges in popularity, each seeing their support jump by eight percentage points since March, while Bass’s campaign has remained largely unchanged.
This latest poll signifies a remarkable turnaround in the race, as earlier surveys had shown Bass with a comfortable lead over her rivals, leading analysts to previously assume she would easily advance to the November runoff.
Pollsters characterize the race as extremely tight, with all three frontrunners within the margin of error, underscoring the unpredictability of the upcoming election.
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Mark DiCamillo, director of the Berkeley IGS poll, said turnout would likely determine which candidates advance.
While Bass and Pratt both suffer from high unfavorability ratings, Raman is the only major candidate among the top three with a net-positive favorability rating.
Bass was viewed unfavorably by 57% of likely voters, a slight increase from March. Pratt’s unfavorable rating also stood at 57%, a sharp jump from 28% in the previous poll, when more than half of voters said they had no opinion of him.
In the latest poll, 35% of likely voters viewed Bass favorably, compared with 25% for Pratt. Raman received a 40% favorable rating, while 35% viewed her unfavorably.
Bass’s campaign advisor Doug Herman told The California Post: “Everyone knew this would be a close race, and it shows Karen Bass in the lead heading into Tuesday.
“It’s a choice between a mayor who reduced homelessness and hired more officers, a councilwoman who voted repeatedly to allow encampments near schools and to shrink LAPD, or a reality TV villain. We will win.”
Bass has come under fire for her handling of the Palisades Fire, for which she faced criticism across the county.
Pratt has capitalized on frustrations over rebuilding efforts cited by many residents who lost homes, including himself, to boost his campaign. Bass has also faced criticism over homelessness, after pledging major progress on the crisis while the city has only seen modest declines in unhoused populations.
Raman, meanwhile, has criticized Bass’s “Inside Safe” homelessness program, arguing that the initiative is too expensive and unsustainable long term. Bass has pushed back by portraying Raman as ineffective on the City Council and unable to build alliances within City Hall.
Pratt has gained notoriety and also earned attention from President Donald Trump, with many comparing the celebrity candidate’s rise to Trump’s own transition from reality television star to politician. Trump recently said he hoped Pratt “does well” and described him as “a big MAGA person.”
Around 10% of voters still remain undecided, a sharp drop from March when more than a quarter of likely voters had not yet chosen a candidate.
The nonpartisan mayoral race is structured so that if no candidate secures more than 50% of the vote — which the poll suggests is unlikely — the top two vote-getters will advance to a November runoff.
As of now, Bass and Raman appear slightly ahead in the race to claim those two runoff spots, though Pratt remains within striking distance and could still shake up the final outcome.
The next mayor of Los Angeles will inherit the nation’s second-largest city budget and lead one of the biggest cities in the US as it prepares to host the FIFA World Cup and Olympic Games — two global events expected to bring millions of tourists and fans into the city.
The Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies conducted the online poll May 19–24 in English and Spanish among 1,913 registered Los Angeles voters, including 1,351 considered likely to participate in the city’s June election.
The survey offers one of the clearest snapshots yet of voter sentiment heading into the final days of the campaign.
The Post has reached out to all three campaign for comment.
