Nithya Raman Overtakes Spencer Pratt for Los Angeles Mayoral Runoff

Incumbent Mayor Karen Bass and City Councilwoman Nithya Raman will face each other in the November 3 mayoral runoff election after a contested primary process. Bass led the June 2 primary with approximately 34.3% of the vote, while Raman secured the second spot with roughly 28.6%, narrowly edging out Republican candidate Spencer Pratt, who finished third with 25.8%.

Pratt held a significant lead for second place on election night, trailing Bass by a smaller margin than Raman did. However, Raman surged into second place as late-arriving mail-in ballots were processed, a shift that election analysts and state officials describe as normal for California's voting system. This volatility triggered accusations of a rigged election from several high-profile political figures, who cited a lack of voter ID and the staggered counting process as evidence of fraud.

Following the results, federal probes into alleged voting fraud were initiated. U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli confirmed these investigations but debunked a specific viral claim that Pratt had received zero votes in a 24,000-ballot update, attributing the discrepancy to a reporting lag by the Associated Press. The office of Governor Gavin Newsom dismissed the fraud allegations as the actions of a sore loser.

The November runoff will center on homelessness, housing affordability, and Bass's management of the 2025 Pacific Palisades wildfires. Raman is positioning herself as a progressive alternative, while Bass is defending her first-term record and rejecting the MAGA agenda.