Nithya Raman, a progressive member of the Los Angeles City Council, has overtaken reality-TV star Spencer Pratt in the Los Angeles mayoral primary. This shift places her in a strong position to challenge incumbent Mayor Karen Bass in the upcoming November election.
Vote Count Developments
As of now, with 87% of the votes counted, Mayor Bass leads with 34.68%, followed by Raman at 27.12%, and Pratt trailing at 26.69%. The election officials are still processing hundreds of thousands of outstanding mail-in ballots. This development comes after a significant change from last Wednesday, when Pratt held the second spot with 30.4% of the vote, and Raman was at 22.3%.
The mayoral race is formally nonpartisan, meaning all candidates appear on a single ballot. The November runoff could see two Democrats competing in a city known for its liberal leanings, with local issues expected to influence the outcome significantly.
Responses and Reactions
Spencer Pratt expressed skepticism about the vote count on social media, highlighting a net swing of more than 43,000 votes since Tuesday. Former President Trump also criticized California’s vote-counting process, calling it “rigged” and accusing state and local election officials of corruption.
In response to these concerns, the U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles has opened multiple election fraud investigations. Bill Essayli, appointed by Trump as the top federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, announced the investigations and sent a prosecutor to the county’s vote-counting center.
Challenges for the Incumbent
Mayor Karen Bass, who won the office in 2022 by defeating businessman Rick Caruso, is seeking a second term. Her tenure has faced several challenges, including criticism for traveling abroad during devastating wildfires and ongoing issues with homelessness, despite a reported 17.5% reduction in street homelessness.
Original reporting: WMAL (Washington DC) — read the source article.
