Los Angeles City Council member Nithya Raman is closing the gap on Spencer Pratt in the mayoral race, positioning herself to potentially overtake the Republican and former reality TV star for second place when Sunday's ballot count releases. Raman's surge threatens to reshape what was expected to be a two-person contest between Pratt and frontrunner Rick Caruso.
Pratt, known for his reality television work, has grown visibly frustrated with the pace of vote counting in California's notoriously slow ballot tabulation process. The delays have kept the race in flux longer than typical competitive elections, leaving candidates and voters waiting days between ballot dumps for clearer standings.
Raman's trajectory reflects the deep left-leaning politics of Los Angeles County, where progressive council members have gained traction on issues like housing, homelessness, and labor organizing. Her climb up the rankings signals that despite early polling suggesting Pratt could capitalize on anti-establishment sentiment and name recognition from "The Hills," the reality star's novelty may not translate into sustained support across the city's diverse voting blocs.
Caruso, a billionaire developer, entered the race as a Democrat after decades as a Republican. He positioned himself as a tough-on-crime centrist, a message that resonated with voters anxious about downtown crime and retail theft. But Raman's resurrection in the count underscores that L.A. voters remain fractured across multiple candidates and that late-arriving mail ballots often skew toward more progressive options.
The race now hinges on whether Raman can sustain her momentum and overtake Pratt. California's ranked-choice voting system means second-place finishes matter for final tabulation if no candidate reaches 50 percent. Pratt's frustration with slow counting reflects the broader tension between celebrity candidates expecting quick validation and the grinding reality of vote