Los Angeles mayoral primary: Bass leads, Pratt’s lead narrows as Raman gains ground

Incumbent Mayor Karen Bass is ahead in the Los Angeles mayoral primary with roughly 35% of the vote. Reality‑TV star Spencer Pratt remains in second place at about 28‑29%, but his lead over City Councilmember Nithya Raman has been shrinking as Raman picks up tens of thousands of votes in each ballot update. Recent counts show Raman within a few percentage points of Pratt and climbing toward a runoff spot.

A brief data‑feed glitch on election night caused the Associated Press to release two back‑to‑back updates, one showing a surge for Bass and Raman and another showing a surge for Pratt. The split‑second timing led some observers, including high‑profile conservatives, to claim fraud. The AP clarified that the discrepancy was an automated lag that separated vote batches for different candidates, not evidence of tampering.

The episode has fed broader conspiracy narratives about California elections, drawing commentary from figures such as Elon Musk. Federal officials, including a U.S. Attorney, are reviewing the prolonged ballot‑processing backlog in Los Angeles County, adding further scrutiny to the vote‑counting process.