People died who shouldn't have. That's not just a mistake—that's negligence.
Pratt has raised nearly $540K and secured endorsements from Joe Rogan, Richard Grenell, and Steve Hilton, positioning himself as a political outsider. Prediction markets show Pratt at 20% odds, ahead of Mayor Bass at 19%, though 40% of voters remain undecided two months before the June primary.
- Pratt raised nearly $540,000 since January and secured endorsements from Joe Rogan, Richard Grenell, and Steve Hilton
- Prediction markets show Pratt at 20% odds, ahead of Mayor Bass at 19%, with 40% of voters undecided
- The January 2025 fires destroyed Pratt's Pacific Palisades home and his parents' residence; only a few hundred of 6,000+ destroyed structures have been rebuilt
- Pratt has 941,000 followers on X and 1.3 million on Instagram, which he has used to criticize local and state officials
Reality TV personality Spencer Pratt is unexpectedly competitive in Los Angeles's mayoral primary, raising $540,000 and securing high-profile endorsements despite skepticism about his political viability.
Spencer Pratt, the reality television personality who built his early fame on MTV's The Hills, is no longer a punchline in Los Angeles's mayoral race. As of late April, prediction markets place him at 20 percent odds of winning the June 2 primary—narrowly ahead of incumbent Mayor Karen Bass at 19 percent, though City Council member Hugo Raman remains the betting favorite at 58 percent. The shift has caught observers off guard, particularly given that Pratt entered the race in January with no political experience and a tabloid history that spans decades.
His campaign has generated genuine momentum. A viral advertisement accumulated more than 8.6 million views on X within a single day, and he has assembled an unlikely coalition of high-profile backers: podcaster Joe Rogan, radio host Adam Carolla, Trump special envoy Richard Grenell, conservative commentator Benny Johnson, and California gubernatorial frontrunner Steve Hilton. Since the start of the year, Pratt has raised nearly $540,000, matching the fundraising pace of Raman, who entered the race two months later and pulled in $530,000 during a single April filing period, much of it from entertainment industry sources.
Yet the race remains genuinely unsettled. A UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs poll found that 40 percent of likely voters have not yet decided whom to support—an unusually high figure just eight weeks before the primary. Among those who have made a choice, Bass leads with 25 percent, followed by Pratt at 11 percent and Raman at 9 percent. With 14 candidates competing and no frontrunner approaching a majority, the top two finishers will advance to a November runoff. Zev Yaroslavsky, director of the Los Angeles Initiative at UCLA Luskin and a former elected official in the city and county, called the level of indecision "unusual" for a mayoral race at this stage.
Pratt's entry point into the race was personal. The January 2025 fires that devastated Los Angeles destroyed both his Pacific Palisades home and his parents' residence. He announced his candidacy on the one-year anniversary of those fires, using the moment to criticize Bass's leadership and the slow pace of rebuilding—only a few hundred of more than 6,000 destroyed structures have been reconstructed. He has since leveraged his substantial social media presence—941,000 followers on X and 1.3 million on Instagram—to amplify his message that the disaster was preventable and that local and state officials, including Governor Gavin Newsom, failed in their duty to prevent it. "People died who shouldn't have," he told Variety in August. "That's not just a mistake—that's negligence."
His campaign messaging frames the race in sweeping terms. "This isn't a campaign—it's a mission," he said at a neighborhood rally. "We're going to shine a light into every corner of this city, expose what's broken, and rebuild LA into something people can believe in again." Conservative commentator Meghan McCain, reacting to his viral advertisement, declared on social media that "this guy is going to win."
But skeptics abound. Kaivan Shroff, a media and culture expert, told the Washington Examiner that while Pratt possesses name recognition and a compelling personal narrative bolstered by high-profile endorsements, his path to victory remains "a long shot." Shroff warned that the more partisan power brokers who line up behind Pratt, the more he risks being perceived as a Republican operative rather than a genuine political outsider—a particularly damaging label given that he has spent the last decade largely out of the public eye, selling crystals and other wellness products. "He has no credible experience to bring to the race," Shroff said.
Pratt's personal history poses another vulnerability. He has claimed that his sister said his mayoral bid was the only thing keeping her happy, yet she subsequently told voters that supporting him would be "a vote for stupidity" and accused him of physical abuse and introducing her to drugs. Shroff suggested this was merely the surface of what might emerge if Pratt advances to a general election, where he would face far more intensive vetting than he has received so far. Although California municipal elections are officially nonpartisan, Pratt has affiliated himself with Republicans through his endorsements and stated openness to working with the Trump administration. He has attempted to present himself as a cross-party figure capable of delivering "real answers" to the city's challenges, but the partisan nature of his backing may complicate that positioning as the race intensifies.
Citas Notables
This isn't a campaign—it's a mission. We're going to shine a light into every corner of this city, expose what's broken, and rebuild LA into something people can believe in again.— Spencer Pratt, at a neighborhood rally
The more partisan power brokers line up behind him, the more he will be seen as a GOP plant as opposed to a political outsider.— Kaivan Shroff, media and culture expert
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
How does someone with no political background and a complicated personal history suddenly become competitive in a major city's mayoral race?
The fires changed everything. Pratt lost his home, like thousands of others, and he had a platform—nearly two million followers across social media. When he started criticizing the official response, people who were angry and grieving listened. He wasn't a politician; he was a neighbor with a megaphone.
But 40 percent of voters are still undecided two months before the primary. What does that tell us?
It tells us the race is genuinely open. Bass is the incumbent but hasn't consolidated support. Raman is the establishment favorite but hasn't broken through. Pratt is the wild card. In a fragmented field with no clear frontrunner, an outsider with name recognition and a personal connection to the crisis can compete.
His sister publicly contradicted him about his campaign. Doesn't that undermine his credibility?
It should, and it might in a general election. But we're still in the primary, where 40 percent of voters haven't made up their minds. The story of his campaign—the fires, the rebuilding, the criticism of officials—is more powerful right now than the complications in his personal life.
What about the partisan endorsements from people like Richard Grenell and Steve Hilton? Doesn't that make him look like a Republican plant?
That's the trap he's in. Those endorsements give him credibility and resources, but they also risk making him look like he's running a partisan campaign in a city that leans Democratic. He's trying to thread a needle—accepting Republican support while claiming to be a political outsider.
Is he actually going to win?
Probably not. But he's proven something: in a moment of genuine crisis and anger, someone with no political experience, a personal stake in the problem, and a way to reach people directly can become a serious contender. Whether that translates to victory depends on whether voters see him as a solution or a celebrity riding a wave.