Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman has overtaken reality TV personality Spencer Pratt for the second-place spot in the Los Angeles mayoral primary.
This shift occurred on Sunday, five days after the June 2 election, as officials continued processing thousands of outstanding mail-in ballots.
With approximately 87% of the vote counted, incumbent Mayor Karen Bass remains in the lead with 34.68%, securing her place in the November runoff.
Raman now holds 27.12% of the vote, while Pratt has slipped to 26.69% narrowly missing a qualifying spot.
This marks a significant turnaround, as Pratt had held the second-place position shortly after Election Day.
The lengthy and slow counting process – a standard feature of California’s mail-in system – has been a point of frustration for some candidates. Responding to his declining lead on X, Pratt posted:
“A net swing of more than 43,000 votes since Tuesday... 43,000, huh? Where have I seen that number before? Probably nothing.”
Prior to being overtaken, Pratt had encouraged his supporters to remain hopeful, stating, “Remember everyone… we are still in the lead and we’ve got alllllll the way til July 6th to keep counting. They’re not the only ones who know where to find votes.”
