Spencer Pratt’s Los Angeles mayoral campaign began with celebrity ambition. Days before Tuesday’s primary, the former MTV reality star is threatening to force incumbent Mayor Karen Bass into a runoff in November.
Mr. Pratt, best known for “The Hills,” has 22% support among likely voters in the latest UC Berkeley/Los Angeles Times poll, behind Mr. Bass at 26% and City Council member Nithya Raman at 25%. Mr. Pratt and Mr. Raman have each risen 8 points since March, according to the poll.
The Los Angeles mayoral election is bipartisan. If no candidate wins more than 50% in Tuesday’s primary, the top two candidates will advance to a November runoff. That means in a crowded field, Pratt doesn’t need to win outright to turn the race around, just finishing ahead of Raman is enough.
Although the race is nonpartisan, Pratt is a registered Republican and has attracted attention from conservative media and Trump supporters. After his home and family home were destroyed in the Pacific Palisades fires, he rejected the label of “MAGA Republican” and campaigned as a referendum on the authority of City Hall.
“I just entered the race because there was no one else running,” Pratt told CNBC’s “Squawk on the Streets” on Thursday. “I had to step up for my community and Los Angeles.”
Pratt decried the city’s challenges, including homelessness, drug addiction, crime, fire safety and business costs. He accused Bass, a former Democratic U.S. congressman, of failing to keep residents safe and prepare Los Angeles for disaster.
“I don’t do national politics. I don’t do party politics,” Pratt said. “I’m running an independent race.”
Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt hosts a campaign “block party” event on 10th Avenue on Wednesday, May 20, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
Robert Gauthier | Los Angeles Times | Getty Images
Pratt also rejected Bass’ claims that homelessness has decreased during his term, calling the city’s numbers “completely fabricated.” Bass noted that homelessness has decreased by 17.5%.
“How do you clean it up? You’re the one enforcing the law,” Pratt said. “The only law in place right now is probably a parking ticket for hard-working taxpayers who have to step over naked drug addicts to get their matcha.”
Pratt said he would use California’s SB43 law to move people with severe addictions and mental illnesses into mandatory treatment.
“This is not a homelessness issue, this is an addiction issue,” Pratt said.
The former reality star has also pitched himself as a pro-business candidate, saying he would push to eliminate red tape for builders and strengthen the film tax credit to bring production back to Hollywood.
“If people don’t feel safe on the streets, they won’t go to restaurants,” Pratt said. “Massachusetts has better tax credits than Hollywood,” he added.
Still, Mr. Pratt faces a difficult road in a Democratic-heavy city where Mr. Bass remains in office with institutional support and Mr. Raman is competing to win over anti-Buss voters.
As of Thursday, prediction market Carsi had predicted Pratt’s chances of winning at about 22%, reflecting not only the growing interest in his candidacy but also the uncertainty surrounding the race.
The Los Angeles mayoral primary election will be held on Tuesday.
Disclosure: CNBC and Kalsi have a commercial relationship that includes customer acquisition and minority ownership.
