Nithya Raman, a Los Angeles city councilmember, has pulled ahead of former reality TV star Spencer Pratt in the race for the second spot in the upcoming Los Angeles mayoral election. As of the latest vote update on Sunday evening, Raman secured about 40% of the nearly 48,000 votes reported by Los Angeles County, placing her approximately 3,000 votes ahead of Pratt.

The race remains too close to call, with CNN refraining from projecting which candidate will join Mayor Karen Bass in the November election. Raman’s recent surge in votes has been notable, as she has consistently outperformed both Bass and Pratt since the close of election night counting. She has gained 43,000 votes on Pratt and increased her overall vote share by about 5 percentage points.

California’s Election Process

California’s election process, which is largely mail-in, often results in extended vote counting periods. Properly postmarked ballots can be counted up to seven days after Election Day, leading to shifts in vote tallies. These late-counted ballots tend to favor Democratic candidates, as they include mail ballots cast closer to Election Day.

While the Los Angeles mayoral race is officially nonpartisan, the candidates’ political affiliations are known. Spencer Pratt is a registered Republican, whereas Nithya Raman has campaigned as a progressive. This distinction could play a role in the final outcome as more ballots are counted.

Potential November Matchup

In anticipation of a potential November matchup against Raman, Mayor Karen Bass has already outlined her campaign strategy. She criticized Raman for being “MIA on saving Hollywood jobs and fighting back when ICE invades LA,” signaling the issues she plans to highlight in the coming months.

Original reporting: El Paso News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.