Progressive City Council member Nithya Raman has overtaken former reality TV star Spencer Pratt to advance to the Los Angeles mayoral runoff, Newsmax projects.
Raman will face incumbent Mayor Karen Bass in what promises to be a contentious race for control of America’s second-largest city.
Just 3,113 votes separate Raman and Pratt in the nonpartisan primary. Bass currently leads with 35%, followed by Raman at 27.12% and Pratt at 26.69%.
“Remember everyone … we are still in the lead, and we’ve got allllllll the way til July 6th to keep counting. They’re not the only ones who know where to find votes.”
Pratt wrote that message on X Sunday as Raman began cutting into his lead. More votes remain to be counted under California’s extended timeline.
The U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles announced Friday it had opened multiple election fraud investigations related to California’s elections and sent a prosecutor to the county’s vote-counting center.
The developments came one day after President Donald Trump alleged widespread fraud in California’s extended vote count following Tuesday’s primary.
Under California law, mail ballots are valid if postmarked by Election Day and arrive at county election offices by June 9. County officials must report final results to the secretary of state by July 3.
Bass, a former Democrat congresswoman, was first elected mayor in 2022 after defeating billionaire real estate developer Rick Caruso in one of the most expensive mayoral races in city history.
Raman was elected to the City Council with support from the Democratic Socialists of America. She has campaigned on promises to reduce inequality, revive the slumping entertainment industry, and build more housing.
California is known for vote counts that can take days to complete.
