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Former mayoral candidate and reality TV personality Spencer Pratt did not advance to the November runoff election, but still drew a notable share of the vote in the June municipal election.
Some of his supporters expressed “disappointment”, with a smaller subset alleging a “corrupt” election, despite no evidence being cited to support those claims.
“I am feeling disappointed because I feel the election was illegitimate,” Ron Goldschmidt, a 50-year-old Palisades resident who lost his home in the fires, told The California Post.
“I think that he should stay the course in fighting for a just cause.”
Now, this electorate — a whopping 217,718 people, or 25.5% of the total votes cast for LA mayor — is left choosing between two candidates they described as “not really a choice.”
Incumbent Karen Bass and DSA-backed Nithya Raman are competing to lead the nation’s second-largest city — a nearly $15 billion budget, the LA28 Olympic Game preparations, while also navigating rising immigration tensions and a strained relationship with the federal government.
The Post spoke with roughly two dozen Pratt voters about their candidate’s loss and how they intended to vote in the run-off.
Conversations with registered Republicans, Democrats, and independents from across the city revealed a segment of the electorate marred by deep distrust in the city’s election institutions, pointed criticism of Bass’s mayoral tenure, and skepticism toward Raman, whom some described as having “communist” tendencies.
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Of those conversations, a majority revealed that people are simply not planning to vote in the mayoral race this year, while some said they may cast protest or symbolic votes by writing in Pratt’s name, even though those votes will not be counted.
Only a handful said they would vote for Bass, describing her as the “known devil,” while one voter said they would support Raman — an outlier among Pratt voters.
Goldschmidt, a registered independent, said he is not voting in the runoff for any candidate and plans on leaving the slate blank.
“What’s the point? It’s all corrupt anyways,” he said. “I spoke to a lot of Pratt voters that feel the same way. They’ve all been awakened by what’s coming out in the last couple weeks.”
He was referring to several videos that allege some homeless individuals in Los Angeles’ Skid Row said they were paid small amounts, reportedly $2 to $5, to register or vote for Bass and Raman. While these claims could not be independently verified, the allegations have made Pratt voters skeptical.
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California law allows homeless people to vote if they meet standard requirements, and they can register using a shelter, park, cross streets, or any regular location they stay instead of a traditional address.