<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Los Angeles Mayor <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/karen-bass/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Karen Bass</a> and challenger <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/beltway-confidential/4745661/karen-bass-nithya-raman-los-angeles-repeats-mistakes/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Nithya Raman</a> spent part of their final debate competing for the same prize: voters who backed third-place finisher <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/spencer-pratt/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Spencer Pratt</a> in the primary and remain disillusioned with City Hall.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In the debate held on October 13, 2026, Bass appealed to Pratt supporters’ public safety concerns, using a social media video to question Raman’s approach to policing. Raman countered by challenging Bass’s record on public safety, police accountability, and homelessness.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Winning over Pratt’s supporters may be challenging. Many remain undecided, and some may prefer to abstain from voting in the <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/2026-election/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">November 3 runoff</a> rather than choose between two Democratic candidates.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“It’s really all of the above,” Dave Spencer, host of the <em>Practically Political</em> podcast, told the <em>Washington Examiner</em> when asked what motivates Pratt’s voters. “There’s widespread dissatisfaction with public safety, homelessness, and how City Hall is operating, and the Palisades fire only made that frustration worse.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Pratt, 43, gained fame on MTV’s reality series <em>The Hills</em>. After his home was destroyed in the January 2025 <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/justice/4626697/judge-declares-mistrial-palisades-fire-arson-case-jury-deadlocks/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Palisades fire</a>, he turned his anger over the disaster into a campaign against the city’s Democratic leadership.</p>
<div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="alignleft size-full is-resized"><img alt="Karen Bass." class="wp-image-4766337" height="682" src="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/AP26273192197480.jpg" style="width: 549px; height: auto;" width="1024" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass speaks during the Jewish Los Angeles Mayoral Forum at Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)</figcaption></figure> </div>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Pratt is a registered Republican and received support from President <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/donald-trump/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Donald Trump</a>. Pratt built his campaign around viral social media videos and criticisms of Bass and other Democratic officials, including Gov. <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/gavin-newsom/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Gavin Newsom</a> (D-CA). He finished third in June’s primary with approximately 26% of the vote, behind Bass at 34% and Raman at 29%.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Nick E. Smith, president of Polaris NY, stated that Pratt’s performance represented a significant critique of the city’s political leadership.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“A guy from <em>The Hills</em> got nearly 26% of the vote,” Smith told the <em>Washington Examiner</em>. “That’s a pretty brutal Yelp review of City Hall.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Pratt’s appeal extended beyond traditional Republican voters, according to Smith, attracting residents frustrated with the response to the fires, crime, homelessness, and city services.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“People don’t care which agency owns a problem,” Smith said. “They want someone to fix it.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Spencer noted that Pratt connected with voters who believe the system is broken and unresponsive.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“That’s something we’re seeing in elections across the country,” he said. “People are desperate for someone who can come in and change things.”</p>
<h1 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-fight-over-policing-and-accountability">A fight over policing and accountability</h1>
<div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="alignleft size-large is-resized"><img alt="Los Angeles mayoral candidate Nithya Raman attends the Jewish Los Angeles Mayoral Forum at Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026." class="wp-image-4766340" height="682" src="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/AP26273192458973.jpg?w=696" style="width: 576px; height: auto;" width="1024" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Los Angeles mayoral candidate Nithya Raman attends the Jewish Los Angeles Mayoral Forum at Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)</figcaption></figure> </div>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Bass used the latest debate to question whether Raman was prepared to lead America’s second-largest city, pointing to a social media video in which Raman appeared alongside an influencer using the phrase “only you can stop fascist liars.” Bass stated that the remarks were directed at her and police Chief Jim McDonnell.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Raman responded that the video had been edited to misrepresent her message and that she was referring to federal immigration enforcement, not the mayor or police chief.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“As soon as we realized it was a mis-edited video, we took it down,” Raman said during the debate, acknowledging an error while disputing Bass’s characterization.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The candidates also debated McDonnell’s future. Raman called for replacing the police chief due to the department’s handling of federal immigration raids, while Bass cautioned that changing leadership ahead of the 2028 Olympics could disrupt the department.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Raman also questioned the administration’s transparency regarding public safety data, while Bass defended her record on policing and homelessness.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“Bass emphasizes policing; Raman emphasizes accountability,” Smith said. “Voters can want safer streets AND police oversight.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Jamie E. Wright, a California-based political analyst, stated that Pratt provided frustrated residents with an outlet for their dissatisfaction.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“You can’t label Spencer Pratt’s voters as only celebrity worshipers or standard conservative voters,” Wright told the <em>Washington Examiner</em>. “There is a population that feels fed up with unsafe cities and homelessness. People who don’t think our City Hall is doing the right things. Pratt was able to give those people an outlet for that.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Bass must convince those voters that her administration has adequately addressed their concerns, while Raman must demonstrate her ability to deliver meaningful change, Wright said.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">A September poll by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies, co-sponsored by the <em>Los Angeles Times</em>, <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-09-24/ramans-big-lead-in-la-mayoral-poll-puts-pressure-on-bass" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">found</a> Raman leading Bass among likely voters, 39% to 28%, with 33% undecided. Among voters who supported Pratt in the June primary, 63% remained undecided about the runoff. Of those Pratt supporters who had chosen a candidate, 22% favored Bass and 16% Raman.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The numbers provide both campaigns with an opportunity to make their case, but do not guarantee either candidate can win over Pratt’s voters.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“There’s little evidence that these voters are necessarily up for grabs,” Spencer said. “Pratt did well because he connected with people who are fed up with the status quo. He also had the advantage of being a recognizable television personality who knew how to connect with an audience.”</p>
<h1 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-risk-of-staying-home">Risk of staying home</h1>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For Bass and Raman, the challenge may be less about persuading Pratt’s supporters to switch sides than giving them a reason to vote at all.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">More than 200,000 people voted for Pratt in the primary, Spencer noted, but neither Democrat may present an appealing alternative to voters who backed an outsider to protest the city’s political leadership.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“There’s an old saying that there are three choices in an election: the two candidates and the couch,” Spencer said. “For many Pratt voters, the couch may be the most appealing option.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Bass is the incumbent, and many Pratt supporters are dissatisfied with her performance, Spencer added. Raman, meanwhile, is further left politically, which could make her an unappealing choice for voters who backed the Republican.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“For many of these voters, the choice is ‘known bad, unknown potentially worse,’” Spencer said. “Who is going to get excited about that?”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Political analyst Seamus Love stated that Pratt’s support reflected both traditional Republican voters and Angelenos disillusioned with one-party rule. The fires, homelessness, and the cost of living fueled that dissatisfaction, he told the <em>Washington Examiner</em>, though it is difficult to separate Pratt’s celebrity appeal from his outsider message.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“I don’t believe Pratt’s support was personal loyalty as much as it was an aversion people have to the status quo in Los Angeles,” Love said.</p>
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<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Smith cautioned that undecided voters should not automatically be treated as persuadable.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“We shouldn’t treat undecided as synonymous with persuadable,” he said. “There’s a difference between answering a poll and actually casting a ballot.”</p>