Spencer Pratt’s strong lead in the Los Angeles mayoral primary continues to narrow significantly as newly tallied votes inject fresh momentum into the campaign of progressive City Councilmember Nithya Raman. The race for a spot in the November runoff is intensifying.
According to results released on Saturday, Pratt’s lead over Raman has dwindled to a mere 7,494 votes, a sharp decline from the more than 20,000-vote advantage he held just the previous day. So far, about 78% of the ballots have been processed.
In the latest update, Raman garnered 23,514 votes, more than doubling Pratt’s increase of 10,336. Her overall vote percentage climbed from 24.9% to 26.2%, whereas Pratt saw a decrease from 28.2% to 27.3%.
This unexpected twist introduces fresh uncertainty into what seemed to be a straightforward path to the November runoff for Pratt, known for his reality TV background. Until recently, Pratt appeared securely ahead of Raman, poised to challenge incumbent Mayor Karen Bass in the fall election.
Bass continues to lead the race with 235,180 votes, accounting for 34.8% of the total. Pratt’s tally stands at 184,596 votes, while Raman has surged to 177,102 votes.
The recent developments have reduced Pratt’s lead by 13,178 votes in just one day, leaving the gap between him and Raman at less than 7,500 votes as of Saturday.
The stunning tally comes as Los Angeles County continues processing its remaining ballots. Political strategists have long noted that later-counted ballots tend to skew younger and more progressive, representing a voting bloc that has been a key source of support for Raman.
Longtime political strategist Michael Trujillo told The California Post on Saturday that the trend points to a likely runoff appearance for Raman.
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“Barring some mathematical surprise, today’s results suggest Nithya Raman will be in the runoff,” Trujillo said.
If that happens, Trujillo said that many Pratt supporters will face a difficult choice in November.
“At that point, Pratt voters will have to decide whether they’re going to support Mayor Karen Bass, who has the endorsement of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, or Nithya Raman,” he said.
The latest mayoral numbers were released as movement in the governor’s race remained far more limited.
Former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra continued to lead the field with 1,732,755 votes, or 26.8%, while Republican Steve Hilton remained close behind with 1,704,821 votes, or 26.4%.
Billionaire businessman Tom Steyer held third place with 1,361,549 votes, or 21.0%, showing little change from Friday’s results and failing to gain ground on Hilton in the race for a spot in November’s runoff.
