Topline
Republican Spencer Pratt, a former reality star, ended up finishing third—and missing out on the runoff—in the primary for Los Angeles mayor, after a campaign that drew significant interest as he mirrored President Donald Trump’s playbook and drew on anger toward the city’s handling of last year’s devastating wildfires.
Los Angeles Mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt is seen speaking with the media outside Don Antonio’s restaurant in Los Angeles, California.
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Key Facts
The Associated Press called the race at 7:55 p.m. EDT on Monday evening with 92% votes counted.
Pratt managed to secure 25.8% of the votes counted, putting him behind both incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, who got 34.3% of the vote and progressive Democratic challenger Nithya Raman who received 28.6%.
Key Background
Pratt centered his campaign around his anger toward Bass after losing his home in last year’s Palisades Fire, and it was bolstered by viral AI campaign videos and the support of many in Trump’s MAGA base. In one popular real ad, Pratt is pictured visiting the neighborhoods where Raman and Bass live, unaffected by the wildfires, then standing in front of a trailer on the burned out lot of his former home. He’s also campaigned on curbing the city’s homelessness problem, which exploded in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Pratt, former villain on MTV’s “The Hills” who is married to his costar Heidi Montag,b with whom he shares two children, was initially seen as an unserious political candidate. But his viral ads and what was widely viewed as a breakout performance in the mayoral debate last month helped cement his position as a real contender in the race. His rise has been compared to Trump’s, a reality star who captured populists at a time when the country was disaffected by career politicians. Trump stopped short of endorsing Pratt, telling reporters last week, “I’d like to see him do well,” while calling him a “character” and a “big MAGA person.”