The Los Angeles mayoral primary just delivered one of the most shocking political nights in the city’s recent history — and the race is far from over.
If you searched “who won the LA mayor race” or “did Spencer Pratt win,” here is everything you need to know right now, explained clearly and completely.
What Happened on June 2, 2026?
The Los Angeles mayoral primary took place on Tuesday, June 2, 2026. Voters chose from a crowded field of 14 candidates, but the race quickly came down to three serious contenders: incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, former reality TV star Spencer Pratt, and LA City Councilmember Nithya Raman.
CBS News projected that incumbent Mayor Karen Bass would advance to the November election, while her opponents — Councilmember Nithya Raman and political newcomer Spencer Pratt — competed for the final spot.
With over 60% of the expected votes counted, incumbent Mayor Karen Bass was leading the pack at 35%, followed by Spencer Pratt at 30% and Nithya Raman at 22%. No candidate crossed the 50% threshold needed to win outright.
Under California law, if any candidate wins more than 50% of the votes in the June primary, they win the office outright. If no one cracks 50%, the top two vote-getters proceed to a November runoff.
Did Spencer Pratt Win?
Spencer Pratt did not win the primary outright — but his performance was nothing short of remarkable for a political newcomer with zero government experience.
With nearly 50% of the vote in, Bass held a steady lead with just under 37% of the ballots counted. Pratt secured 29.8% of the vote, with Councilmember Nithya Raman coming in third place at 20.5%.
Pratt was hopeful when he spoke with reporters Tuesday night as he remained in second place with about half the votes counted. “I’m going to prove to everybody that this is for real,” Pratt said. He also said he looked forward to debating Bass again in the months to come.
Spencer Pratt appeared all but poised to face off against Mayor Karen Bass in the November runoff election for Los Angeles mayor. If that holds, it sets up a historic Bass vs. Pratt general election showdown in November.
Who Is Spencer Pratt? The Story Behind the Candidacy
To understand how a reality TV star ended up nearly topping the polls in America’s second-largest city, you have to understand January 7, 2025.
Pratt’s Pacific Palisades home, which he shared with his wife Heidi Montag and their two children, burned to the ground on January 7, 2025 — one of more than 5,800 structures consumed by the blaze. The Palisades and Eaton wildfires were the costliest insured catastrophe in California history, with industry loss estimates ranging from $25 billion to $45 billion.
That fire, and the city’s response, served as the foundation for Pratt’s mayoral campaign. He announced his run on January 7, 2026 — exactly one year to the day after his home burned down — and spent the months since hammering Karen Bass over what he called a botched emergency response.
Starring on the MTV hit series “The Hills” in the early 2000s, Pratt became well known as a reality TV agitator, a persona that carried over into his mayoral bid as he positioned himself as Bass’s chief antagonist. A political newcomer, Pratt made waves on social media in the months after the devastating Palisades Fire, with the charred remains of his property often the centerpiece of his Instagram posts as he became one of the loudest voices representing victims of the blaze.
At the one-year anniversary demonstration called “They Let Us Burn,” held at the Pacific Palisades, Pratt officially announced his candidacy, declaring: “Business as usual is a death sentence for Los Angeles, and I’m done waiting for someone to take real action.”
Karen Bass: Defending Her Record Under Fire
Bass has faced criticism for her handling of the January 2025 Palisades Fire, which broke out while she was on a diplomatic trip to Ghana. She rushed back to Los Angeles as the wildfire tore through Pacific Palisades and Malibu, ultimately destroying more than 15,000 structures and killing 12 people.
Despite those headwinds, Bass secured first place on primary night and addressed supporters with confidence. “We have laid a foundation, and we’re going to build on that foundation,” Bass told a cheering crowd on election night. “Tomorrow begins the second half of this journey.”
After serving the better part of two decades as a congresswoman and as LA’s 43rd Mayor, Bass said this race will be her last campaign for public office. That makes November’s runoff intensely personal for her.
Nithya Raman: The Wildcard Who Fell Short
City Councilmember Nithya Raman entered the race late but ran a surprisingly competitive campaign, challenging Bass from the left.
Raman, a former Bass ally and Democratic Socialists of America member, challenged Bass from the left. On election night, she spoke passionately to supporters. Raman blamed a “MAGA machine” for advancing a “dark agenda” against her campaign’s vision for a city that works for everyone. “We believe that Angelenos were hungry for that vision, and we were right,” she said.
Her third-place finish means her path forward ends here — but her voters now become a critical factor in the November runoff. Political analysts widely expect much of her coalition to align with Bass in a Bass vs. Pratt general election.
The Road to November: What Comes Next
Los Angeles County election officials will continue to tally mail-in and drop-box ballots over the coming days, with official results expected to be certified by the County Clerk within the month. Unless a single candidate pulls off a major surprise by securing more than 50% of the total vote, the top two finishers from this primary field will advance to a head-to-head general election runoff on November 3. The eventual winner of that contest will assume office on December 14, 2026, inheriting a city preparing to host the 2028 Olympic Games.
The stakes could not be higher. Los Angeles is in a defining moment — recovering from its worst wildfire disaster in history, navigating a homelessness crisis, managing a massive budget deficit, and preparing to be a global spotlight city for the 2028 Olympics.
Key Issues That Defined This Race
🔥 Wildfire Recovery & Preparedness The 2025 Palisades and Eaton Fires defined this entire race. The crux of the race, for all candidates, was the aftermath of the fires, with Pratt accusing Bass of poor leadership that left the city unprepared for the wildfires that wiped out neighborhoods.
🏠 Homelessness Pratt centered his campaign on homelessness, crime, fire preparedness, and the cost of doing business in Los Angeles. He rejected Bass’s argument that homelessness has declined under her tenure, calling the city’s numbers “completely fabricated,” while Bass pointed to a 17.5% decline in homelessness.
💰 Cost of Living & Housing Affordability Raman made housing affordability central to her platform, arguing that working families and artists were being priced out of the city they built.
🤖 AI-Powered Campaigning Pratt’s campaign promoted political ads, some generated with artificial intelligence, which were scrutinized for utilizing a “MAGA strategy” to target Bass and Raman. This marked a new frontier in local American political campaigning.
How the Pre-Election Polls Compared to Results
Days before the primary, Pratt was polling at 22% among likely voters in a UC Berkeley–Los Angeles Times poll, just behind Bass at 26% and Raman at 25%. Pratt and Raman had each gained eight percentage points since March.
Election night results showed Pratt outperforming his polling significantly, suggesting enthusiasm and name recognition drove turnout beyond what surveys captured.
Bottom Line: What You Need to Know Right Now
- Karen Bass won first place in the June 2 primary and is projected to advance to the November 3 runoff.
- Spencer Pratt came in second and is on the verge of clinching the second runoff spot — a stunning result for a first-time candidate.
- Nithya Raman came in third and is unlikely to advance.
- No one won outright. A November general election between Bass and Pratt appears likely.
- The winner will take office on December 14, 2026.
- Mail-in and drop-box ballots are still being counted, and final certified results are weeks away.
Los Angeles is at a crossroads. A city shaped by fire, inequality, and ambition will now decide — in November — whether it turns to the experienced hand of Karen Bass or the insurgent energy of Spencer Pratt to lead it into the era of the 2028 Olympics.
