Progressive Los Angeles City Council member Nithya Raman advanced to a November runoff against Mayor Karen Bass after late-counted mail-in ballots conveniently erased Republican candidate Spencer Pratt’s early lead.
The election unfolded as federal authorities intensified scrutiny of California’s election procedures. Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles have opened multiple election fraud investigations, established a public tip line for reporting suspected misconduct, criticized the state’s voter registration and ballot collection practices, and dispatched a federal prosecutor to the Los Angeles County ballot processing center for a second time Monday to observe the counting process.
Before the race was called by the Associated Press, President Trump questioned the results in a Truth Social post, writing:
“Not possible for Spencer Pratt to have lost the L.A. runoffs after the big lead he had. 3rd World Nation. Rigged Elections! Now they’ll be working on great guy Steve Hilton. Won’t have results for, possibly, TWO WEEKS, according to officials.”
Raman, backed during her council campaigns by the Democratic Socialists of America, entered the race after previously endorsing Bass for reelection. Pratt drew national attention for criticizing Democratic leadership in Los Angeles as the city continues to face homelessness, deteriorating infrastructure, and rising housing costs.
