The ongoing race for the second spot in the Los Angeles mayoral runoff, where incumbent mayor Karen Bass has already secured a place in the November election but failed to win an outright majority. The remaining contest is between Spencer Pratt and Nithya Raman, with Pratt currently holding a noticeable lead.
Pratt, a former reality television personality running as a Republican, has expressed confidence not only that he will defeat Raman and advance to the runoff but also that he would be a strong challenger to Bass. In public comments, he welcomed the prospect of multiple debates with the mayor, saying he enjoyed their previous exchanges and looked forward to more opportunities to criticize her leadership. He argued that the coming months would allow him to continue highlighting what he views as failures of the current administration.
Election results so far show Bass leading the field with roughly 35 percent of the vote, making her advancement to the runoff virtually certain. Pratt initially finished Election Night with about 30.4 percent, while Raman trailed with approximately 22.3 percent. As additional ballots have been counted, Pratt’s margin has narrowed slightly, but he still maintains a lead of around six percentage points, with recent totals showing him at about 29.4 percent compared to Raman’s 23.4 percent.
Despite Pratt’s advantage, election officials and media organizations have not declared the race over. Hundreds of thousands of ballots remain uncounted, and historical voting patterns suggest that later-counted ballots in Los Angeles often lean more Democratic. This has fueled speculation that Raman could gradually close the gap and potentially overtake Pratt before the count is completed.
Political observers note that Los Angeles is a heavily Democratic city, making any Republican candidate’s path to victory challenging. Even if Pratt advances to face Bass in November, he would likely confront significant electoral obstacles. However, supporters point out that his current performance has exceeded many expectations and that he remains in a strong position as counting continues.
For Raman, the path forward depends largely on the remaining ballots. Her campaign hopes that outstanding votes from more Democratic-leaning areas will continue to reduce Pratt’s lead. At the same time, analysts caution that there is no certainty the remaining ballots will follow previous trends closely enough to erase the current gap.
The final outcome remains unresolved because ballot counting will continue for several days. Election officials are scheduled to release additional updates through at least June 12, and ballots postmarked by Election Day can still be counted if they arrive by the applicable deadline. Until more votes are processed, the battle for the second runoff spot remains one of the most closely watched races in Los Angeles politics.
While Bass’s place in the November election appears secure, the key question now is whether Pratt can maintain his lead or whether Raman can mount a late comeback and claim the opportunity to challenge the incumbent mayor in the general election.
