Did Spencer Pratt Win? What the 2026 Los Angeles Mayor Race Results Mean
Los Angeles woke up to one of its most unusual political storylines in years: Spencer Pratt, the former reality television personality best known from The Hills, was not merely a celebrity curiosity in the 2026 Los Angeles mayoral race. He was a serious contender, running second in early results behind incumbent Mayor Karen Bass and ahead of City Councilmember Nithya Raman.
- Why There Was No Final Mayor on Primary Night
- The Main Result: Bass Survives, Pratt Surges
- Spencer Pratt’s Election Night Message
- Why Karen Bass Was Vulnerable
- Nithya Raman’s Fight for the Second Spot
- What the Numbers Show So Far
- Why This Race Became a National Story
- What Happens Next
- Conclusion: Did Spencer Pratt Win the LA Mayor Race?
But the most important answer for voters searching “did Spencer Pratt win,” “who won the LA mayor race,” or “LA mayor election results 2026” is this: Spencer Pratt did not win the mayor’s office on primary night. Karen Bass advanced to the November runoff, and Pratt was leading the race for the second runoff spot in early returns, though vote counting was still continuing. NBC News projected Bass would advance, while results showed Bass at 35.8%, Pratt at 29.6%, and Raman at 21.8% with 56.5% of the expected vote in.
Why There Was No Final Mayor on Primary Night
The Los Angeles mayoral election is not decided like a simple one-round contest unless a candidate wins more than 50% of the vote. Under California’s top-two system, the two leading candidates advance to the November general election if no one secures a majority. That is why the 2026 LA mayor results are best understood as a primary election result, not the final decision on who will be mayor of Los Angeles.
Karen Bass, the incumbent mayor, was confirmed as advancing to the November runoff. Pratt, meanwhile, emerged as the major surprise of the night, holding a strong second-place position over Raman in the early count. KTLA reported Bass leading with 36% of the vote, Pratt at 29%, and Raman at 21% with 51% of ballots counted.
The Main Result: Bass Survives, Pratt Surges
For Bass, primary night was both a victory and a warning. She survived the first round, but she did not win outright. That matters politically because an incumbent Los Angeles mayor being forced into a runoff signals dissatisfaction among a sizable share of voters.
Bass told supporters, “In a couple of hours, we will declare victory!” She also framed the result as a mandate to continue her work, saying: “We are going to continue moving our city forward because this is the greatest city in the world and I just want to tell you from the bottom of my heart, I love you, I appreciate you for believing in me and standing with me when others doubted me because you know who I am.”
Her campaign emphasized experience, continuity, and establishment support. Bass entered the race with endorsements from major Democratic figures and local power centers, including labor, business, and community organizations. But the results showed that incumbency alone was not enough to close the race in June.
Spencer Pratt’s Election Night Message
Pratt’s campaign leaned heavily into voter anger over homelessness, public safety, infrastructure, and the city’s response to the Palisades Fire. His candidacy gained national attention partly because of the contrast between his celebrity background and his aggressive anti-City Hall message.
Outside his election night party, Pratt celebrated his early position in the race, saying, “The communists already lost.” He also argued that his campaign was about expanding turnout and energizing voters who had given up on local politics.
“My message to those people that didn’t vote for me. Thank you for voting,” Pratt said. “I’m excited that everyone voted today. One thing I’ve learned is a lot of people don’t vote. My goal by November, whether it’s you’re voting for me or you’re voting for Mayor Bass, I’m going to get more people to vote.”
He continued: “Everybody’s giving up because they’ve just accepted failure. Nothing changes. Things can change if you vote. So to people who didn’t vote for me, thank you for voting and caring about your city. I hope to switch you and show you you’re going to be voting for me in November, but regardless, we need 4 million people to vote in November.”
Pratt also made clear that, if he formally advanced, he wanted a direct fight with Bass. “I loved debating her on NBC. I look forward to a couple more on NBC and Fox,” he said. “We can do debates every Friday, if she would like, because it’s actually become my most favorite thing to do. So, yes, as many debates as Mayor Bass would like. She knows it’s on. I hope she’s ready because I literally could not be more excited.”
Why Karen Bass Was Vulnerable
Bass entered office as a historic figure: the first Black woman elected mayor of Los Angeles and a former member of Congress with a long record in Democratic politics. But her first term became defined by some of the city’s most difficult problems: homelessness, public safety, housing pressure, population decline, infrastructure complaints, and emergency management.
The Palisades Fire became one of the defining issues of the campaign. Bass faced criticism because she was on a diplomatic trip to Ghana when the January 2025 wildfire broke out. The fire devastated Pacific Palisades and Malibu, destroyed more than 15,000 structures, and killed 12 people. Pratt, who lost his home in the fire, used the disaster as a central argument for changing leadership at City Hall.
Bass has acknowledged challenges but has pointed to reductions in homelessness and a historically low homicide rate as evidence that her administration has made progress. She told supporters: “I appreciate you for standing with me when others doubted me, because you know who I am.” She added, “I have devoted my entire life to serving the city that I love, where I was born, and I’m going to continue to do that all the way to victory in November.”
Nithya Raman’s Fight for the Second Spot
Nithya Raman entered the mayoral race late but quickly became a serious contender. Her campaign appealed to progressive voters and focused on inequality, housing affordability, government performance, immigrant communities, LGBTQ+ rights, and the future of working people in Los Angeles.
On election night, Raman did not concede. Her supporters remained hopeful that late-counted mail ballots could narrow the gap, especially because mail ballots in California can shift totals after election night.
Raman told supporters: “A few months ago, this campaign was a long shot. No one knew who I was. I was the last to enter this race. We had no institutional backing. But what we did have was a vision for Los Angeles.”
She continued: “That this city should be affordable enough to still be a place of real opportunity, where families are not pushed out, where artists can afford to stay and make their art, a place where working people can build a future. A vision where government actually functions and delivers every day on this city’s beautiful, big-hearted values. Where we stand up against ICE. Where we show up for our gay and trans siblings. Where our neighborhoods are safe. That is the vision that we have for Los Angeles.”
Her campaign also said volunteers knocked on 1.5 million doors during a four-month blitz that began in February, when Raman filed minutes before the election deadline.
What the Numbers Show So Far
The early LA mayor election results showed a three-way contest becoming a two-person runoff battle. The NBC News Decision Desk numbers listed Bass at 159,109 votes, Pratt at 131,384, and Raman at 96,835 with 56.5% of the expected vote in.
That placed Bass ahead by roughly six percentage points over Pratt and Pratt ahead of Raman by nearly eight points. Still, California’s vote-counting process means final results can take time. Late-arriving mail ballots, provisional ballots, and damaged ballots can be counted after election night, and counties have up to 30 days to certify results.
So while Bass clearly advanced, the second runoff position required continued attention as officials processed remaining ballots.
Why This Race Became a National Story
Los Angeles is the second-largest city in the United States, and its mayoral race often reflects broader national debates. In 2026, the LA mayoral election became a test of Democratic urban governance, celebrity politics, voter frustration, homelessness policy, public safety, and disaster response.
Pratt’s rise showed that outsider messaging can travel far, especially when paired with social media attention and public anger. His campaign tapped into voters who felt City Hall had become too slow, too detached, or too ineffective.
Bass, on the other hand, represented institutional experience at a time when many voters still wanted stability. Her challenge is that stability can sound like stagnation to residents facing high rents, visible homelessness, damaged streets, and anxiety over emergency preparedness.
Raman represented a third lane: progressive reform from inside city government. Her campaign argued that Los Angeles needed both compassion and competence, with a deeper focus on affordability and public services.
What Happens Next
The November runoff will determine who becomes mayor of Los Angeles. If Pratt advances, the campaign will likely become a sharply defined contest between Bass’s experience and Pratt’s outsider insurgency. Bass will argue that she has delivered measurable progress and deserves time to continue. Pratt will argue that the city needs a disruption.
If Raman were to overtake Pratt in late counting, the runoff would become a different kind of contest: Bass versus a progressive city councilmember with a policy-heavy critique of the incumbent’s leadership.
Either way, the issues are already clear. Los Angeles voters will be asked to decide who is best equipped to handle homelessness, wildfire recovery, public safety, housing costs, city services, Hollywood’s economic struggles, immigration tensions, and preparations for major global events, including the 2028 Olympics.
Conclusion: Did Spencer Pratt Win the LA Mayor Race?
No, Spencer Pratt did not win the Los Angeles mayor race on primary night. Karen Bass advanced to the November runoff, while Pratt held second place in early results and appeared positioned to continue the fight. The final mayor of Los Angeles will be chosen in November, not in the June primary.
Still, Pratt’s performance changed the race. What began as an unusual celebrity candidacy became a serious political challenge. Bass survived, but she did not escape without damage. Raman’s campaign showed the strength of progressive frustration. And Los Angeles now heads toward a runoff shaped by anger, uncertainty, and a central question: whether voters want continuity, reform, or a dramatic break from City Hall.
