Bass, Pratt lead Los Angeles mayoral race

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(The Center Square) – Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Republican candidate Spencer Pratt could be headed for a runoff in November in a race that is getting national attention.

As of 9:37 p.m. Pacific time, Bass, a longtime Democrat who served in the California Assembly and U.S. House, had 36.59% of the vote. Pratt had 29.82%. Meanwhile, Nithya Raman had 20.52%.

These numbers come from the website for Los Angeles County Election Results.

Going into the race, Bass told Angelenos that crime and homelessness is down. The mayor has also touted new home construction. Still, Pratt has blamed Pratt and other city officials for problems such as wildfires, crime, homelessness and dirty streets. Pratt lost his home to the 2025 wildfires. 

Last week, Pratt accused Bass of electioneering. Pratt’s campaign told The Center Square that Bass was campaigning on video near a ballot box at a distance not allowed by state law. In the same story, the Bass campaign told The Center Square that the rally was at a legal distance.

Pratt appeared optimistic Tuesday night, even telling people he believed he will get the 51% or more votes needed to be elected mayor Tuesday night. His campaign was celebrating with a party in West Los Angeles.

Bass, meanwhile, said things were looking good so far. 

“I’m so glad to be here with everyone tonight,” said Bass at her campaign party in Los Angeles' Koreatown. “In a couple hours, we will declare victory.”

Raman, a Los Angeles City Council member and a Democrat, told supporters Tuesday that she did not know what to expect when she first started her campaign.

“I declared my intention to run on the last possible day,” Raman said at her campaign party in Los Angeles' Arts District. “I felt the city needed someone to fight for it. So many people joined us to fight for a better future for the city of LA."

When asked about the race, Raman told reporters, "Early results often change over a couple days. We saw that in previous elections as well."