Spencer Pratt, a former reality television personality and candidate for mayor of Los Angeles, said Thursday that death threats he received during his time on the MTV series 'The Hills' prompted him to register as a Republican. Pratt is running nonpartisan against incumbent Mayor Karen Bass in the city's mayoral race.
Pratt, who played a recurring villain role on 'The Hills' for four seasons, told CNN's Elex Michaelson that the intensity of public hostility he faced during his reality TV career led him to seek personal protection. He said security personnel and police advised him to obtain a firearm amid credible threats against his life.
What the Right Is Saying
President Donald Trump offered his endorsement of Pratt's mayoral bid during remarks at Joint Base Andrews for the U.S. Coast Guard Academy Commencement, according to the Los Angeles Times. 'I'd like to see him do well,' Trump said. 'He's a character. I heard he's a big MAGA person. He's doing well.'
Pratt has characterized Los Angeles under Bass's leadership as unsafe, pointing specifically to his own experience losing his home during the January 2025 Palisades fire and criticizing Bass's emergency response to both the Palisades and Eaton fires that struck simultaneously. He has also released AI-generated advertisements depicting Bass in adversarial roles such as Darth Vader or with Joker-like makeup.
What the Left Is Saying
Mayor Karen Bass pushed back against Pratt's candidacy in an interview with MS NOW on Saturday, suggesting his campaign capitalizes on broader frustrations rather than offering substantive policy solutions. 'He's tapping into a general sense of anger that people have, not just in Los Angeles, but in many other places around our country,' Bass said.
Bass highlighted her administration's record on homelessness reduction, noting that the number of unhoused residents in Los Angeles has decreased by 17.5 percent during her tenure. She also outlined plans to accelerate construction of 42,000 additional units of affordable housing as part of her strategy to address the city's housing crisis.
What the Numbers Show
Republicans constitute less than 15 percent of registered voters in Los Angeles, representing a significant minority in a heavily Democratic city. The last Republican to serve as mayor was Richard Riordan, who left office in 2001 after two terms.
Pratt entered the nonpartisan mayoral race against Bass in January 2026. While he has aligned himself with Republican positions on Second Amendment issues, his official candidacy is registered outside party affiliation.
The Bottom Line
The Pratt-Bass contest highlights the challenges facing any non-Democratic candidate in Los Angeles's electoral landscape, where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by a wide margin. Trump administration's vocal support for Pratt provides national GOP attention but may not translate to local success in a city that has not elected a Republican mayor in 25 years.
Bass's campaign is centering on measurable progress in addressing homelessness alongside plans to expand affordable housing, while Pratt is framing the race as a referendum on public safety and emergency management. Voters will decide between two contrasting visions of the city's direction in the upcoming election.