Spencer Pratt's campaign for mayor of Los Angeles, which began as a long shot, is gaining momentum ahead of the primary election on Tuesday. According to a recent UC Berkeley-Los Angeles Times poll, Pratt is polling at 22% among likely voters, trailing incumbent Mayor Karen Bass at 26% and City Councilmember Nithya Raman at 25%. If no candidate secures more than 50% of the vote, the top two candidates will advance to a runoff in November.
Pratt, a registered Republican, has attracted attention from conservative media and figures aligned with former President Trump. He has positioned his campaign as a critique of the current administration's handling of city issues, particularly homelessness, drug addiction, and public safety. Pratt stated, "I only got into the race because nobody else was going to run. I had to step up for my community and for Los Angeles."
He has criticized Bass's claims of a decline in homelessness, asserting that the statistics are misleading. Pratt advocates for using California's SB 43 law to mandate treatment for individuals with severe addiction or mental illness, stating, "It's not a homelessness problem, it's a drug addiction problem."
Additionally, Pratt presents himself as a pro-business candidate, proposing to reduce regulations for builders and enhance film tax credits to attract production back to Hollywood. Despite his rising popularity, he faces challenges in a predominantly Democratic city where Bass holds significant institutional support.
Prediction market Kalshi estimates Pratt's chances of winning at approximately 22%, indicating both growing interest in his candidacy and the uncertainty of the election outcome.