Spencer Pratt's independent bid to make the Los Angeles mayoral runoff remains uncertain nearly a week after California's primary election, with his margin over Democrat City Councilmember Nithya Raman having slimmed to just 1% as county officials continue processing thousands of ballots.
Pratt led Raman by 7,494 votes in the latest Associated Press elections tally with 78% of the vote counted. Incumbent Democrat Mayor Karen Bass has already advanced to the November runoff after finishing first with 235,180 votes (34.8%). Pratt had accumulated 184,596 votes (27.3%) while Raman held 177,102 votes (26.2%).
Los Angeles County is counting ballots postmarked on or before Election Day and received by Tuesday, June 9. Under California law, election results must be certified by July 10. The slow count has drawn heightened attention because later-counted ballots have steadily cut into Pratt's lead over the past several days.
What the Right Is Saying
Republicans have seized on the narrowing margin and the pattern of later-counted ballots favoring Raman, with conservatives arguing the pace and outcome raise questions about California's election integrity.
The Republican National Committee launched a public tracker criticizing the extended timeline. "The California primary ended on June 2, 2026; yet California is still counting ballots," the RNC website read. "The state's election system is a complete joke."
Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., placed blame on Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom during an appearance on Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures." "When Gavin Newsom was elected governor of California, you knew who was elected in a day to two days," McCarthy said. "Now it takes more than weeks, almost a month... Gavin changed a number of election laws."
Conservative commentator Robby Starbuck drew attention to the pattern of ballot drops, noting that Raman had been gaining ground consistently in later counts. X owner Elon Musk weighed in on the discussion, claiming that mail-in voting combined with the absence of ID requirements in California "enables large-scale fraud."
What the Left Is Saying
Democrats have largely attributed Raman's gains to the state's partisan voter registration breakdown rather than any irregularities in the counting process.
Longtime Democrat strategist Michael Trujillo told The California Post that the trend pointed toward a likely runoff appearance for Raman, calling the late ballot counting normal for California. "The stupidity from these out of state analysts and reporters and the bots and fake accounts it brings to what is really a very normal process happening in Los Angeles and California is annoying," he wrote on X.
Democrats point to an overwhelming edge in registered Democrat voters compared to Republicans in Los Angeles County, noting that Pratt's independent status does not change the underlying partisan lean of the electorate. The party has largely stayed quiet publicly as the count continues, allowing the normal process to play out.
What the Numbers Show
The vote totals tell a story of an extremely close contest: Bass leads decisively with 34.8% and has secured her runoff berth, while Pratt holds a narrow 1-point advantage over Raman with roughly 78% of votes counted.
In the most recent ballot batch released by Los Angeles County, Raman picked up 23,514 votes compared to Pratt's 10,336—a net gain of 13,178 votes for Raman in a single update. That dramatic swing reduced Pratt's lead from its previous level of over 7,000 votes to an approximately 1-point margin.
California's top-two primary system requires candidates to exceed 50% for outright victory or advances the two highest vote-getters regardless of party affiliation. Bass crossed that threshold as the first-place finisher, while Pratt and Raman remain separated by fewer than 8,000 votes with potentially thousands of ballots still outstanding.
The Bottom Line
The outcome could hinge on how many ballots remain uncounted and which candidate they favor. If the pattern of recent days continues—with later-counted ballots breaking heavily toward Raman—the Democrat could overtake Pratt for second place before certification.
A Raman advancement would set up a November matchup between two Democrats, Bass and Raman, effectively removing any Republican or independent voice from the general election in California's largest city. A Pratt advancement would create an unusual dynamic pairing the reality television personality against the incumbent mayor.
Both campaigns are expected to continue monitoring the count as Los Angeles County processes ballots through June 9. The final certified results must be submitted by July 10.