How Spencer Pratt’s ‘patently absurd’ bid for mayor fell flat in Los Angeles

Spencer Pratt visits the Fox & Friends set in New York City on 28 May. Photograph: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images View image in fullscreen Spencer Pratt visits the Fox & Friends set in New York City on 28 May. Photograph: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images How Spencer Pratt’s ‘patently absurd’ bid for mayor fell flat in Los Angeles The ex-reality TV star, who lost his home in the Pacific Palisades fire, cast himself as the antidote to the city’s woes Spencer Pratt, an ex-reality TV star, cast himself as the antidote to Los Angeles’s woes as he campaigned to be the city’s next mayor. He curried favor with swaths of disillusioned voters who related to his diatribes against city leadership. His fervent social media posts, including re-shares of AI-generated campaign ads showing LA in an apocalyptic light, garnered national attention. But when voters got to the polls, ultimately the online virality was not enough to boost a registered Republican, who is best known for his villainous turn on MTV’s The Hills and has zero experience in governing, in a deep blue city embroiled in debate over its future. Why the California vote count is slow – and Trump’s fraud claims are bogus Read more Progressive city councilor Nithya Raman edged out Pratt, according to results called by the Associated Press on Monday night. Raman will face incumbent Karen Bass in November’s race. Pratt has not yet conceded the election. In a break from his usually prolific online presence, he’s issued few remarks about the election on social media since Tuesday, save for an X post where he suggested without evidence that Raman rounded up a cohort of unhoused people to vote for her. Donald Trump , who backed Pratt’s bid, has offered up his own assessment on the race and California primaries at large: “crooked”. The state’s slow ballot-counting process has drawn unfounded conspiracies from the right about voter fraud. But Pratt, who first appeared on Americans’ TV screens in the late aughts as Heidi Montag’s infamously bad boyfriend on The Hills, had been set for an uphill battle on several fronts. For one, his lack of government experience drew questions about his exact plans for the city. He was quick to dismiss concerns about his capability. “I’m a lifelong Angeleno who’s seen my home city waste away under poor leadership. THAT is my experience,” he recently said on social media. View image in fullscreen A Spencer Pratt for Mayor billboard is seen on election day in Los Angeles. Photograph: HIGHFIVE/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images Pratt, who said he voted for Trump in 2024, was also running in a largely Democratic city. Los Angeles has not been led by a Republican since Richard Riordan, the former mayor who served from 1993 to 2001. The endorsement from Trump, who is deeply unpopular among Los Angeles voters, was also viewed as a hindrance. On the campaign trail, he largely distanced himself from partisan allegiances and emphasized that the election for Los Angeles mayor is nonpartisan. He f