LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has advanced to a November runoff election in her quest for a second term, the Associated Press projected early Wednesday morning.
The race featured a crowded field, but since no candidate is on track to earn more than 50% of the vote, the top two finishers move on to a runoff this fall. Former reality TV star Spencer Pratt, a Republican, was in second place as the votes continued to be counted.
Bass, a former member of Congress, was first elected mayor in 2022, when she defeated real estate developer Rick Caruso.
The 72-year-old has faced backlash in the aftermath of last year’s destructive wildfires for being out of the country when they started. The fires burned over 16,000 structures, and at times, fire hydrants and water tanks ran out of water, limiting efforts to fight the growing blaze.
A March Los Angeles Times poll found that over half of voters in the city have an unfavorable view of Bass.
Pratt’s presence in the race, which included AI-generated videos, drew higher-than-usual national attention to the election. Pratt, the former star of the 2000s MTV show “The Hills,” lost his house in last year’s fires.
President Donald Trump did not issue a formal endorsement, but he praised Pratt’s bid, saying: “I’d like to see him do well. He’s a character.”
After a strong televised debate performance last month, raising $3.7 million since January, compared to the $3.2 million Bass has raised over the past two years, according to the latest campaign finance filings.
