Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass moved a step closer to winning reelection after securing the top spot in the city’s jungle primary — putting her on a possible crash course this November with former bad-boy reality star Spencer Pratt.
Mr. Pratt, a registered Republican whose insurgent bid caught national attention, claimed the second spot in early returns, though no official call had been made — with progressive City Councilor Nithya Raman close behind.
“I appreciate you for standing with me when others doubted me, because you know who I am,” Ms. Bass told supporters. “I have devoted my entire life to serving the city that I love, where I was born, and I’m going to continue to do that all the way to victory in November.”
Mr. Pratt, meanwhile, projected confidence, saying he now has five months to deliver his message-focused criticism of Ms. Bass’ response to the Palisades fire and failure to address homelessness and safety concerns in more communities across the nation’s second-largest city.
Spencer Pratt, a candidate in the …
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“It is going to be a fun ride,” Mr. Pratt said. “I hope she is ready.”
Asked whether he was ready, he said: “Absolutely — I was born for this clearly.”
The Associated Press has not yet called a second candidate to advance to the runoff.
California has a history of substantial vote updates after Election Day that can sometimes shift the outcome as late-arriving mail and drop-off ballots are counted.
Ms. Bass is a former member of Congress and the first Black woman to serve as mayor. She has appeared vulnerable, with her approval rating falling into the 30s.
Mr. Pratt announced his candidacy at a “They Let Us Burn” rally on the first anniversary of the Palisades disaster, in which he lost his home.
His campaign harnessed a flood of artificial-intelligence — often created by supporters — including one that cast him as a Batman-like vigilante saving a burning Los Angeles while Ms. Bass appeared as the Joker, flanked by California Gov. Gavin Newsom and former Vice President Kamala Harris.
Mr. Newsom and Ms. Harris endorsed Ms. Bass.
“I got in this because as a citizen, I felt like my city failed — myself, my neighbors, my family,” Mr. Pratt said of the race. “Mayor Bass has allowed the city to be covered in potholes. We don’t have sidewalks. We don’t have lights.”
“I’m an Angeleno who said ‘Enough is enough,’” he said.
• This story is based in part on wire reports.
