Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman has moved ahead of former reality television personality Spencer Pratt in the latest vote count for Los Angeles mayor, according to Associated Press figures, but the race for the second runoff spot remains uncalled.
Incumbent Mayor Karen Bass has already secured a place in the November runoff after finishing first in the city’s nonpartisan primary. The remaining question is who will face her in the general election: Raman, a progressive Democrat currently serving on the City Council, or Pratt, a Republican and political outsider whose campaign has drawn national attention.
The latest AP count showed Raman narrowly overtaking Pratt by roughly 0.4 percentage points, a margin of just over 3,000 votes. The shift came after Pratt had led earlier in the count, underscoring how late-counted ballots can alter standings in close California races.
Los Angeles uses a nonpartisan election system for mayoral contests. If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote in the primary, the top two vote-getters advance to a runoff. Bass, who is seeking a second term, cleared the first major hurdle but did not win outright, setting up a November contest against a challenger still to be determined.
TRENDING TODAY
The race has drawn unusual attention because of Pratt’s celebrity background and because of the political contrast between the remaining contenders. Raman has positioned herself as a progressive voice focused on housing, public services and local governance. Pratt has campaigned as an outsider candidate, criticizing City Hall and arguing that Los Angeles needs a more aggressive approach to issues such as homelessness, crime and disaster response.
The counting process has also become a political flashpoint. California allows vote-by-mail ballots to be counted after Election Day as long as they are postmarked on or before Election Day and received by the legal deadline. For the June 2, 2026 primary, the California Secretary of State says mail ballots must be received by June 9, counties must complete final official results by July 2, and the state will certify results on July 10.
Republican officials and some conservative commentators have criticized the slow pace of the count, arguing that voters should know the outcome much sooner. The Republican National Committee has highlighted the delay on its website, describing California’s counting process as unacceptable and tracking the time since polls closed.
Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy also criticized California’s election system in a Fox News appearance, blaming changes made under Gov. Gavin Newsom for longer vote-counting timelines. McCarthy argued that California once produced results far more quickly and claimed the state’s current process has undermined public confidence.
Election officials and voting experts, however, have said California’s extended counting timeline is largely a result of state election rules, mail ballot processing, signature verification and the volume of ballots received near or after Election Day. The Secretary of State’s office has also reminded voters that ballots continue to be processed during the official canvass period.
The Associated Press reported that the Los Angeles race remains too close to call, with Raman pulling ahead of Pratt as additional ballots were counted. AP also noted that the contest has become politically charged as Republicans question the pace of the count while Democrats point to California’s normal ballot-processing rules.
For Bass, the delay means her general election opponent remains uncertain. A Bass-Raman runoff would likely center on differences inside Los Angeles’ Democratic and progressive political landscape, including housing policy, homelessness programs and the city’s handling of public safety. A Bass-Pratt runoff would likely create a sharper ideological contest, with Pratt presenting himself as an anti-establishment alternative in a heavily Democratic city.
For now, the outcome depends on remaining ballots and final verification. With the margin between Raman and Pratt still narrow, election analysts are watching each update closely. California’s rules give county officials several weeks to finish the official canvass, meaning the final certified result may not come immediately even if media outlets call the race earlier.
Why It Matters
The Los Angeles mayoral race is one of the most closely watched local contests in the country because it combines big-city issues, national political attention and an unusually high-profile candidate in Spencer Pratt. Raman’s move into second place could reshape the November runoff and determine whether Bass faces a progressive City Hall critic or a conservative outsider.
The race also highlights a broader debate over California’s vote-counting system. Critics say the long timeline creates confusion and suspicion, while election officials argue that the process is designed to count eligible ballots accurately, including mail ballots that arrive after Election Day but meet state requirements.
What Comes Next
Los Angeles County will continue processing eligible ballots as the official canvass moves forward. The Associated Press has not yet called the second runoff spot, and the final result could depend on remaining mail ballots, signature verification and county reporting updates.
If Raman’s lead holds, she will advance to face Bass in November. If Pratt regains second place, Los Angeles could see a highly unusual runoff between a Democratic incumbent mayor and a Republican celebrity candidate running as a political outsider.
🚨 NOW: Nithya Raman has only 21,000 VOTES to catch up to Spencer Pratt in the mayoral race, with 253,000 LEFT
She’s suspiciously almost beating even KAREN BASS in the “late mail” 🤨
California’s elections are worse than a 3rd world nation!
Raman’s mail-ins could lock out… pic.twitter.com/RTfGAB0gY0
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) June 6, 2026
