Nithya Raman, a city councilmember, has edged ahead of former reality TV star Spencer Pratt in the contest for the second position in the Los Angeles mayoral race. This development follows a recent update in vote counts on Sunday evening.

Current Standings

Raman has secured approximately 40% of the nearly 48,000 votes reported by Los Angeles County on Sunday, gaining a lead of about 3,000 votes over Pratt. Despite this lead, the outcome remains uncertain as votes are still being counted, and CNN has not yet projected which candidate will join Mayor Karen Bass in the November election.

Throughout the June 2 primary, Raman has consistently outperformed both Bass and Pratt, gaining 43,000 votes over Pratt and increasing her overall share by about 5 percentage points. Her performance over the weekend was particularly strong, with Raman capturing about 40% of each batch of votes, while Pratt garnered around 18%.

Election Dynamics

California’s election process, characterized by its reliance on mail-in ballots, often results in extended vote counting periods. Ballots postmarked by Election Day and received up to seven days later are eligible for counting, which can lead to shifts in vote tallies post-election night. Historically, these late-counted votes tend to favor Democratic candidates.

Although the Los Angeles mayoral race is officially nonpartisan, the candidates’ political affiliations are noteworthy. Spencer Pratt is a registered Republican, while Nithya Raman has campaigned as a progressive.

Looking Ahead

Mayor Karen Bass, who is already confirmed for the November election, has begun to outline her potential campaign strategy against Raman. In a statement issued on Sunday, Bass criticized Raman for being “missing in action” on key issues such as saving Hollywood jobs and opposing ICE operations in Los Angeles.

Original reporting: KTVZ (Central Oregon) — read the source article.