The L.A. mayoral race took a dramatic turn over the weekend as progressive City Council member Nithya Raman overtook reality TV personality Spencer Pratt for second place, setting up a potential shift in who will ultimately challenge Mayor Karen Bass this November. With ballots still being tallied, the contest for the final runoff spot has become one of the most closely watched storylines of the 2026 election season.

A Late Surge Reshapes the Field

On Sunday, an updated vote count pushed Raman, 44, ahead of Pratt in the L.A. mayoral race, signaling momentum that had been building for days. Five days after the election, officials continue processing hundreds of thousands of outstanding mail-in ballots to determine who will face off against Mayor Karen Bass, the incumbent, in November. Washington Times

The latest figures painted a clear picture of how the race has tightened. With 87% of votes counted, Bass led the field of candidates with 34.68%, followed by Raman at 27.12%, and Pratt now trailing behind Raman at 26.69%, narrowly missing a spot in the general election. Crucially, no candidate crossed the 50% mark, which would have ended the contest outright. Washington Times

That margin represents a stunning reversal. These numbers are an enormous shift from last Wednesday, one day after the election, when Pratt was in the No. 2 spot with 30.4% of the vote and Raman had 22.3%. Washington Times

How Los Angeles Counts Its Votes

Part of what makes the L.A. mayoral race so suspenseful is the city’s heavy reliance on mail-in voting. Because so many residents cast ballots by mail, the counting process unfolds slowly, often stretching over days or even weeks. Leads that appear solid on election night can erode as more ballots are processed.

A few key rules shape how this race will be decided:

• A candidate can win outright by capturing a majority of votes in the primary.
• If no one reaches that threshold, the top two finishers advance to a November runoff, regardless of party.
• Mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day are still being accepted by county officials, meaning the count isn’t finished.

This slow, methodical tallying explains why neither the Associated Press nor major networks have projected who will join Bass on the November ballot.

A Pattern Playing Out Across California

Raman’s rise isn’t happening in isolation. It’s part of a pattern all over California since primary night: Democrats have gained more votes as the state’s slow counting process continues, after a late surge in Democratic turnout. The same dynamic has shaped other contests across the state, including the high-profile governor’s race and several competitive congressional campaigns. NBC News

For Raman, that trend has been a clear advantage. She steadily closed the gap with each new batch of results, eventually erasing what had once been a substantial Pratt lead.

The Candidates Respond

Reacting to the latest numbers, Raman struck an optimistic but grateful tone, saying her campaign felt encouraged by the count and thankful to the thousands of Angelenos who fueled her bid.

Pratt, 42, a registered Republican who lost his Pacific Palisades home in the wildfires and built his campaign around the frustration of affected neighbors, did not immediately offer a formal comment. However, he suggested on social media — without evidence — that fraudulent votes may have inflated Raman’s totals. He had earlier posted defiantly, insisting the counting was far from over and hinting that his side, too, knew where to find votes.

The Battle Lines Ahead

If Raman holds her lead and secures the second runoff slot, the November matchup would pit two Democrats against each other, but with notably different bases of support. Bass has largely retained the backing of the city’s center-left establishment, even as wildfires and broader voter frustration have chipped away at her standing. Raman, by contrast, has drawn energy from a younger, more progressive coalition.

Her political identity is rooted in specific causes. Raman, a progressive councilmember who built her political profile through housing and homelessness advocacy, entered the race as a challenger from Bass’ left flank. Her campaign gained traction in renter-heavy and traditionally progressive neighborhoods stretching from Hollywood to Highland Park, areas that helped fuel her late surge. KTLA 5 NewsKTLA 5 News

The Bass camp has already begun sketching out its line of attack. A campaign spokesman framed a potential contest against Raman around hot-button issues, criticizing her stance on encampments near schools and on police hiring, while questioning her commitment to protecting Hollywood jobs and pushing back against federal immigration enforcement in the city.

What Comes Next

For now, the L.A. mayoral race remains officially unresolved. With a sizable share of ballots still outstanding and Raman’s margin over Pratt sitting at just a few thousand votes, the second-place finish could still shift again before the count is complete.

What’s clear is that the trajectory has favored the progressive challenger. Each update has nudged Raman further ahead, transforming a race that once looked locked in for Pratt into a genuine cliffhanger.

As Los Angeles continues tabulating votes, residents and political observers alike are left watching closely. The outcome won’t just determine who challenges Bass in November — it will also reveal which wing of the city’s electorate holds the upper hand heading into a pivotal general election for the nation’s second-largest city.