Spencer Pratt surges to runoff in LA mayor's race after angry voters send message to Karen Bass

Reality television personality Spencer Pratt appears on track to clear a key hurdle in Los Angeles' mayoral race as he seeks to unseat incumbent Mayor Karen Bass in November.

Bass, who has led the city since 2022 amid a turbulent stretch rocked by her response to wildfires, advanced to a runoff after failing to secure a majority of the vote in Tuesday's primary election. With no candidate surpassing the 50% threshold, the top two finishers will face off in a November runoff.

The anticipated runoff is a symbolic blow to Bass, who was endorsed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., and former Vice President Kamala Harris and has spent decades serving California in a series of elected Democratic offices.

Pratt, a first-time candidate known for the MTV reality show "The Hills," was running in second place as of Wednesday morning.

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"Obviously, God wanted five more months of me exposing the failures of our mayor," Pratt gloated to reporters as the returns came in Tuesday evening. 

Pratt has relentlessly hammered Bass on issues that have long plagued the city, including fire recovery, street homelessness and crime. The insurgent candidate holds Bass personally responsible for devastating wildfires that destroyed more than 18,000 structures in the city, including his Pacific Palisades home. 

Pratt's surge appears to have shut out Los Angeles City Council member Nithya Raman, a former ally of Bass who challenged the incumbent from the left and was once viewed as a threat to her bid for a second term. Raman is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America and has argued for steering the city in a more progressive direction.

Raman has not yet conceded despite running well behind Bass and Pratt as of Wednesday morning.

Pratt, a registered Republican, faces an uphill battle to defeat Bass in November if he advances to the runoff election.

Less than 20% of voters in the heavily Democratic city identify with the GOP, though Los Angeles’ mayoral contest is officially nonpartisan. 

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Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., who represents a San Diego-anchored seat, told Fox News Digital that Pratt has won a following in the mayoral contest due to widespread voter discontent with Bass’ leadership.

"He's catching fire among ardent historic Democrat voters because Karen Bass has been so ineffective," Issa said in an interview. "And every time she opens her mouth, she's talking about more of the same to people who have seen their streets, both crime-ridden and in fact … ineffectively managed." 

Bass, conversely, argues that her leadership is leading Los Angeles in the right direction.

"Los Angeles is at a turning point. After decades of rising homelessness, under-built housing and a shrinking police force, it’s Mayor Karen Bass who finally stepped up to change how City Hall works," Bass’s website reads.

"Homelessness is down, more housing is being built, and the LAPD is hiring new officers," it also claims.

Fox News Digital's Leo Briceno contributed reporting.