Spencer Pratt, best known as thevillain of MTV's reality series The Hills in the 2000s, has emerged as a serious contender in Los Angeles' mayoral race, according to a new poll released Thursday by UC Berkeley and the LA Times. The Republican political newcomer trails incumbent Democratic Mayor Karen Bass by just four percentage points with two Democrats and more than three dozen candidates competing in Tuesday's non-partisan primary election.
Pratt announced his candidacy in January, entering a race shaped by the devastating 2025 wildfires that destroyed thousands of homes in Los Angeles County, including Pratt's own residence in the affluent Pacific Palisades neighborhood. The former reality television star has built his campaign around criticisms of Bass's handling of the disaster and promises to address homelessness and public safety concerns throughout the city.
What the Left Is Saying
Mayor Karen Bass has sharply criticized Pratt's qualifications throughout the campaign, questioning both his experience and his commitment to governance. "It's not just that he has no experience in city government," Bass said Monday at a campaign event. "I don't know that he's ever held a job in his life other than to be a reality TV star. I think he doesn't know the issues. He's operating out of anger."
City Council Member Nithya Raman, who entered the mayoral race with a focus on housing and homelessness policy, has sought to discredit Pratt's proposals as unrealistic. She has characterized him as an anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist and argued that his celebrity status does not translate to effective governance. "He is not offering a realistic solution to the issues the city is facing," Raman said.
Progressive groups aligned with the Democratic Party have expressed concern that Pratt's rise represents a distraction from substantive policy debates. Community organizers note that Los Angeles has not elected a Republican mayor since 2001, and argue that Pratt's celebrity background does not qualify him to manage a metropolitan government of over four million residents.
What the Right Is Saying
Pratt has defended his candidacy by arguing that his status as an outsider is precisely what Los Angeles needs after years of established political leadership. "I may not have the experience, but I have the common sense to say this is not working," Pratt said in a recent interview defending his lack of governmental background.
The reality television star has run an unconventional campaign leveraging social media platforms including TikTok, where he posts regular political commentary and shares AI-generated content targeting his opponents. His campaign advertisements feature rhetoric echoing the Make America Great Again movement: "We are going to get the golden age of Los Angeles back," Pratt states in one widely distributed ad.
Former President Donald Trump recently offered his endorsement of Pratt's campaign. When asked by reporters, Trump said: "I'd like to see him do well. He's a character. I heard he's a big Maga person. He's doing well." Pratt has sought to distance himself from national partisan politics while maintaining that his outsider status mirrors Trump's 2016 presidential victory.
Conservative commentators have argued that Pratt's celebrity recognition provides an advantage in cutting through media noise, noting that voters frustrated with city services may be receptive to anti-establishment messaging regardless of party affiliation.
What the Numbers Show
The UC Berkeley-LA Times poll released Thursday surveyed likely voters and found Bass leading with 26% support, followed by Raman at 25% and Pratt at 22%. The three candidates are separated by just four percentage points within the margin of error. More than three dozen candidates remain in the race.
In fundraising, Pratt has significantly outraised his opponents. He collected $2.7 million between April 19 and May 16, according to campaign finance disclosures. That total is nearly ten times what Bass raised during the same period and approximately seven times Raman's haul.
Los Angeles County voting patterns strongly favor Democratic candidates. Nearly 65% of voters in the county supported Kamala Harris over Donald Trump in the last presidential election. The city has not elected a Republican mayor since 2001, a span of 25 years.
Under Los Angeles' non-partisan primary system, any candidate receiving more than 50% of Tuesday's vote wins the election outright. If no candidate reaches that threshold, the top two finishers advance to a November general election runoff.
The Bottom Line
Pratt's candidacy represents an unusual test of whether reality television celebrity can translate into electoral success in a major American city with fundamentally different political demographics than his new base suggests. His strong fundraising and tight polling position indicate he has captured voter attention, though analysts remain divided on whether that translates to actual votes.
The outcome of Tuesday's primary will determine whether Pratt advances to a potential November runoff against one of the Democratic candidates. If past Los Angeles voting patterns hold, Bass or Raman would enter the general election as favorites in a city where Republican candidates rarely compete effectively.
Political observers will be watching turnout numbers closely, particularly whether Pratt can motivate voters outside traditional Democratic coalition demographics. The race also tests how much weight entertainment value carries against governmental experience in modern mayoral politics.