'A Narrow Lead' Away of LA Star: Nithya Raman Overtakes Spencer Pratt for Second, Setting Up a Fight With Bass

Los Angeles' mayoral contest took a sharp turn Sunday after progressive councilwoman Nithya Raman overtook reality television personality Spencer Pratt in the race for second place. The late shift has scrambled expectations around who will challenge incumbent Karen Bass in November and injected fresh volatility into an already unpredictable election.

Updated results from the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder showed Raman narrowly moving ahead after days of trailing Pratt in early vote counts. With 83.2% of the expected vote reported, Bass remained in first place with 250,871 votes, or 34.68%.

Raman climbed to 27.12% with 196,198 votes, edging Pratt by 3,113 ballots. Pratt stood at 26.69%.

The margin remains tight, and hundreds of thousands of ballots are still outstanding. Even so, Sunday's update marked a notable reversal in a race that initially appeared to favour Pratt after election night returns.

Late Ballots Shift Momentum

For much of the week, Pratt held second place and looked increasingly likely to advance to the general election runoff. The former MTV star built early momentum on strong election-day returns and frustration among voters over homelessness, crime and the cost of living in Los Angeles.

Friday's update showed Raman dramatically cutting into Pratt's lead after receiving roughly twice as many votes in the latest batch. By Saturday, the gap had narrowed to around 7,500 votes. Sunday's figures finally pushed her ahead.

Raman responded cautiously to the latest tally.

'We are encouraged by the latest vote count and remain grateful to the thousands of Angelenos who have powered this campaign,' she said in a statement to NBC Los Angeles.

Pratt's campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment following Sunday's update. Pratt did, however, post on X about Raman's growing vote total, comparing the increase to the number of people experiencing homelessness each night in the city.

Karen Bass Campaign Turns Towards Raman

Although NBC News has not yet projected who will face Bass in November, the mayor's campaign appeared to acknowledge the changing dynamics of the race shortly after the latest results were released.

Bass campaign spokesperson Alex Stack referred to Raman as the mayor's 'general election opponent' in a sharply worded statement attacking her record on policing, homelessness and immigration enforcement.

'We look forward to winning a contest against an opponent who allows encampments near schools and fights against hiring more cops, yet is MIA on saving Hollywood jobs and fighting back when ICE invades LA,' Stack said.

The response underscored how differently Bass's campaign may need to approach a runoff against Raman compared with Pratt.

A contest against Pratt would likely have allowed Bass to replay elements of her successful 2022 campaign against billionaire developer Rick Caruso, framing herself as the experienced Democratic alternative to a more conservative challenger. Raman presents a more complicated opponent because both candidates appeal to liberal voters, even if they differ sharply on policing and housing policy.

Dan Schnur, a political communications professor at the University of Southern California, UC Berkeley and Pepperdine University, said Bass's advisers had likely anticipated facing Pratt rather than Raman.

'Bass and her advisors believe that they know how to run against Pratt,' Schnur said. 'They'll run the same campaign playbook against a conservative that they did against Rick Caruso four years ago.'

Celebrity Politics Meets Progressive Organising

Pratt's strong performance has remained one of the election's most striking developments. Known nationally for his role on 'The Hills,' he entered the race with little conventional political experience but managed to turn public frustration into a serious campaign.

Raman, the first South Asian woman elected to the Los Angeles City Council, has built her campaign around tenant protections, homelessness prevention and opposition to aggressive policing tactics. Her supporters have argued that Bass has governed too cautiously on issues central to the city's housing crisis.

The Registrar-Recorder said Sunday's update included 122,807 additional ballots, bringing the total number processed to 1,897,653. Voter turnout currently stands at 32.21% of registered voters in Los Angeles County.

Officials estimate that more than 368,000 ballots remain outstanding. Another update is expected Monday.