Bass, Raman Advance to Los Angeles Mayoral Runoff as Pratt Eliminated

Incumbent Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass will face City Councilmember Nithya Raman in a November 2026 runoff election after primary results confirmed Bass leading the field and Raman surpassing former reality TV personality Spencer Pratt for second place.

With 93% of votes counted as of Monday, June 8, Bass received 275,992 votes (34.3%), securing the top position among 14 candidates in the June 2 primary. Raman followed with 229,576 votes (28.6%), while Pratt finished third with 207,757 votes (25.8%), effectively ending his campaign for mayor.

Bass, who served 11 years in the U.S. House of Representatives before becoming mayor, navigated a crowded race that included Raman and Pratt. Despite Raman and Pratt leading fundraising efforts, voters opted to give Bass another term.

Raman, a former ally of Bass, entered the race at the last minute, filing candidacy paperwork on February 7, the final day to qualify for the ballot.

Following the results, the Bass campaign released a statement saying the mayor looks forward to winning the runoff against a candidate who “allows encampments near schools and cuts the police force.” No statements had been received from Raman or Pratt at the time of reporting.

The shift in standings—with Raman now approximately 22,000 votes ahead of Pratt—occurred as California continued processing ballots. State officials reported more than 2 million ballots remained uncounted statewide.

Former Los Angeles City Councilmember Mike Bonin addressed accusations of election irregularities, stating, “We’re in this surreal world now where we’re simply counting and there are people like Donald Trump, like Spencer Pratt who are making a conspiracy out of counting. It’s like saying that you were winning at the half at the Super Bowl and you’re upset that they kept playing the second half of the game. All these votes have been cast and they’re just being counted.”

President Trump, during a recent interview, accused California of election rigging without providing evidence as the ballot count continues.

A pending Supreme Court decision expected later this month could impact vote counting procedures. The ruling will determine whether ballots received after Election Day should be counted, a decision that could affect voters in 14 states, including California.

While the mayoral runoff is now set, California’s gubernatorial race remains uncertain, with several candidates still in contention.