LA Mayor 'BUSTED' on Live TV After Spencer Pratt Video Goes Viral
As vote counting continues from California's June 2 primary, the Los Angeles mayoral race remains undecided. Incumbent Democratic Mayor Karen Bass fell short of the 51 percent needed to win outright, advancing to a November runoff. The battle for the second runoff spot pits Republican Spencer Pratt against Democratic City Councilmember Nithya Raman, with Pratt holding a lead amid ongoing ballot processing.
Pratt, a former reality television personality, has expressed confidence in advancing and facing Bass. Election Night results showed him at 30.4 percent to Raman's 22.3 percent. The latest update has Pratt at 29.4 percent and Raman at 23.4 percent, a six-point edge. Hundreds of thousands of ballots remain uncounted, with daily reports through at least June 12 and postmarked ballots accepted until June 9. Officials note it could take weeks to finalize counts statewide.
This timeline has sparked speculation that Raman could close the gap, as remaining ballots are expected by some to lean Democratic. Pratt has framed the delay positively as extra time to campaign and engage voters.
In remarks after the latest results, Pratt said the additional months would allow him to expose what he called the mayor's failures. “Obviously God wanted five more months” of him “exposing all the failures of our mayor,” he stated. “So it’s going to be a fun ride. I hope she’s ready,” he added, saying he was “born for this.”
When asked about debating Bass, Pratt responded enthusiastically. “You know, I loved debating her on NBC. I look forward to a couple more on NBC and Fox. We can do debates every Friday if she would like because this actually became my most favorite thing to do,” he said. “I hope she’s ready, because I literally could not be more excited,” Pratt added.
Political commentators on a radio program discussed the race dynamics. One observed that it is usually a good thing for a politician to debate the weakest opponents, suggesting Pratt is in a strong position. A co-host agreed that such debates have helped candidates in the past but expressed uncertainty about the effect in California, noting it is still going to be tough in Los Angeles for a Republican. They pointed out that when two Democrats split votes in the primary, the general election dynamic shifts, making it very difficult for a Republican to win in a city like this. Pratt, however, is looking at the situation positively, the hosts added.
Bass is all but certain to reach the runoff. The focus remains on whether Pratt maintains his lead or Raman overtakes him as more ballots are processed. Officials and media outlets have described the contest for second place as too close to call despite the current six-point margin. Pratt's lead has narrowed only modestly from Election Night figures.
Pratt has made clear his readiness for the contest ahead, whether through debates or direct voter outreach. As additional results are released in the coming days, the final participants in the November mayoral election will be determined.
Nearly 150,000 California Mail Ballots Rejected In Primary
California election officials are examining why nearly 150,000 mail-in ballots were rejected during the state’s June primary, with late-arriving ballots accounting for most of the increase.
The higher rejection rate comes despite years of election law changes designed to make voting more accessible and ensure more ballots are ultimately counted.
According to data compiled by the California Secretary of State’s office, 148,241 mail-in ballots were rejected during the June primary, representing 1.73% of all mail ballots returned.
That marks an increase from the 2024 primary, when 108,982 ballots were rejected, or 1.56% of all mail ballots cast.
The largest reason for rejection was ballots arriving too late to qualify under California law.
State data shows that 93,479 ballots were rejected because they failed to meet the state’s deadline requirements.
California allows mail ballots to arrive up to seven days after Election Day, provided they are postmarked on or before Election Day.
Voting experts believe many of the rejected ballots received postmarks dated after Election Day, making them ineligible to be counted even if they arrived within the seven-day grace period.
Kim Alexander, president of the nonpartisan California Voter Foundation, said the timing of postal processing appears to be a significant concern.
“Ballots rejected due to lateness are caused primarily to being postmarked too late to count, not because they arrived too late to count,” Alexander said.
Election experts have questioned whether recent operational changes within the U.S. Postal Service may be contributing to delayed postmarks.
Earlier this year, a group of mostly Democratic U.S. senators wrote to the Postal Service expressing concern that mail-processing changes could affect ballot handling during federal elections.
Updated Postal Service procedures mean postmarks may reflect when mail is processed at regional facilities rather than when it first enters the mail system.
Because processing centers have been consolidated in some areas, election officials have warned that postmark timing could be affected.
Before the June primary, California election officials encouraged voters to mail ballots as early as possible because of potential postal delays.
The June election also featured a highly competitive race for governor, which some experts believe encouraged many voters to wait until the final days before casting ballots.
In addition to late-arriving ballots, approximately 44,000 ballots were rejected because election officials determined the voter’s signature did not match the signature on file.
Another 8,300 ballots were rejected because the return envelope did not contain a signature.
State records also show that 743 ballots were rejected because those voters had already cast another ballot.
Other rejected ballots involved missing ballots inside return envelopes or multiple ballots submitted in a single envelope.
The highest rejection rate in the state occurred in Tulare County, where 3.52% of returned mail ballots were rejected.
Alpine County and Merced County followed closely, each recording rejection rates of 3.36%.
California has frequently faced criticism for taking weeks to complete vote counting after major elections, largely because state law permits ballots meeting certain requirements to continue arriving after Election Day.
Following the June primary, President Donald Trump again criticized California’s election system, while the Department of Justice opened an investigation into election administration in Los Angeles County.
Election experts emphasize that the increase in rejected ballots should not be interpreted as evidence of widespread voter fraud.
A 2025 report by the Brookings Institution found documented cases of mail ballot fraud remained extremely rare, estimating roughly four cases for every 10 million mail ballots cast, The Associated Press reported.
State officials have not identified evidence of widespread fraud connected to the June primary, but the increase in rejected ballots is expected to receive additional scrutiny as election administrators evaluate whether changes in postal operations, voter behavior or election procedures contributed to the higher rejection rate.
