Spencer Pratt Scales ‘The Hills’ but Faces Steep Climb To Win L.A. Mayor’s Race

Spencer Pratt’s second-place finish against Karen Bass in the Los Angeles mayoral primary election left many poll watchers surprised on Wednesday. As polling numbers were still being tallied, the former “The Hills” reality show star catapulted to second place behind the incumbent by a closer-than-expected gap. But Mr. Pratt will face an even steeper hill to win the general election. The less-than-five-point difference as of Wednesday is the outcome of a galvanized coalition of people upset with how Ms. Bass has been managing the city over the last three and a half years. Mr. Pratt was able to tap into several widespread anxieties, including frustration with the increasing number of people sleeping unsheltered on the street. That number rose by 20 percent in the last year, according to the RAND Corporation, and is the highest number of “rough sleeping” in four years. Ms. Bass has also become the face of a failed effort to rebuild the Palisades, where Mr. Pratt’s family resided, after a devastating wildfire more than a year ago. The slow rebuild is causing the cost of housing to rise even more than it was. Last year, the city granted just over 8,000 new residential building permits for a city of 3.9 million. If Mr. Pratt’s lead over City Councilwoman Nithya Raman holds, he and Ms. Bass will face off in the November election. Ms. Bass is currently taking 34.8 percent of the vote, while Mr. Pratt is at 30.4 percent. Ms. Raman trails in a distant third with 22.3 percent. “It’s gonna be a fun ride. I hope she’s ready,” Mr. Pratt told reporters on election night Tuesday, when it became clear that he was in a strong second place. Mr. Pratt says his coalition relies on a specific group: L.A.’s moms. “There’s the moms who want to be able to go to the parks and not see anybody shooting up fentanyl with their pants off,” Mr. Pratt said. “This is across the city, and again, as mayor, I’m gonna help these homeless people,” he said, pledging to build “mandatory treatment” facilities to help homeless addicts recover. Mr. Pratt added that though he is a registered Republican who is running as an independent, he can unite the largely left Angeleno population.“I’m gonna have time to build out this team, to show everybody the level of Democratic supporters that I have behind me,” Mr. Pratt said. “I think this idea that I don’t represent Democrats and Republicans and independents, anyone that’s just a Los Angeles citizen that wants basic quality of life — I’ll be able to show that in five months.”With Ms. Bass taking just under 35 percent of the vote, this will be the first time since 1969 that a sitting Los Angeles mayor will be forced into a runoff election. Ms. Bass did not mention Mr. Pratt by name at her election night party on Tuesday. Mr. Pratt’s obstacle to victory in the general election, however, is structural. Electing a longtime Republican in a city that Vice President Kamala Harris carried by more than 40 points in 2024 is undoubtedly a tough climb, particularly in a midterm environment in which his opponents are trying to plaster him with the MAGA label. President Trump’s popularity is far below water nationally, and given that LA is one of the bluest cities in America, tying Mr. Pratt directly to Mr. Trump — who has praised Mr. Pratt as a “big MAGA person” — is an easy hook for Ms. Bass. The November general election is going to see much higher turnout than the preliminary round Tuesday night. In the 2022 mayoral race, the vote total jumped by 44 percentage points between the preliminary round and the November general election. In general elections, voters are less motivated by partisanship or ideological lines than primary voters who show up to choose nominees for president, for Congress, for state legislatures, and for mayoral offices. With less engaged, less informed Democratic voters showing up in November, it’s much easier for Ms. Bass, with a 35 percent take in the primary, to pick up the extra 15 percentage points to win the 50 percent needed for a second term, especially if she’s able to pull Ms. Raman’s supporters. Ms. Raman was the avowed progressive candidate for mayor. It’s hard to see Mr. Pratt picking up many of her voters in November. In terms of star power, Mr. Pratt is also lagging far behind Ms. Bass’s last opponent, billionaire Rick Caruso who was also a longtime Republican voter when he ran for the office. He ended up losing to Ms. Bass by nearly 10 points despite his attempt to run as a straight-and-narrow moderate with the backing of big names like Snoop Dogg, Chris Pratt, Gwenyth Paltrow, the Kardashians, and Maria Shriver, a former first lady of the Golden State. Mr. Pratt, meanwhile, has won the endorsement of well-known, conservative personalities like Adam Carolla, Kelsey Grammer, Dennis Quaid, and Erika Kirk. According to one of the few public polls on the general election, Ms. Bass starts off a strong favorite. The survey from the University of California at Berkeley found Ms. Bass taking 47 percent of the vote while Mr. Pratt is earning 22 percent. The poll was taken well before Tuesday’s vote, after Mr. Pratt’s well-regarded debate performance in which he confronted Ms. Bass over the city’s issues with crime, homelessness, and affordability.

Spencer Pratt Scales ‘The Hills’ but Faces Steep Climb To Win L.A. Mayor’s Race

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