Spencer Pratt Concedes Los Angeles Mayor Race, Promises 'War' Against Opponents
Spencer Pratt, the reality TV star turned Republican mayoral candidate, conceded the Los Angeles primary election in a video posted on June 12, 2026. He finished third with about 26% of the vote, behind incumbent Mayor Karen Bass (34%) and City Councilmember Nithya Raman (29%), who will face off in November's general election Source: AP News. In the three-minute video, Pratt declared the 'campaign portion of my mission to save Los Angeles is coming to a close' but immediately pivoted to threats against Bass and Raman, calling them 'morons' and 'corrupt communists' Source: The Guardian. He claimed to have damaging recordings of one candidate that would 'make her resign in shame' Source: Los Angeles Times.
Pratt's loss sparked unsubstantiated conspiracy theories on social media, including claims of homeless voter fraud on Skid Row. The Los Angeles Times reported that these allegations were debunked by election officials and experts, who noted that isolated incidents would not sway a race with over 750,000 votes. Prediction markets Kalshi and Polymarket also faced scrutiny after paid influencers used changing betting odds to suggest fraud. Both platforms later asked influencers to remove sponsored posts that promoted election misinformation Source: NPR.
Pratt's campaign was fueled by dissatisfaction with the city's response to the Palisades Fire and homelessness crisis. Despite his loss, he vowed to continue his fight, saying, 'I don't have campaign laws hamstringing me now. It's war' Source: Los Angeles Times.
Sources
6 quotes“Spencer Pratt appeared to concede the Los Angeles mayor’s race on Friday in a new video where he says 'the campaign portion of my mission to save Los Angeles is coming to a close', but declares 'war' against the two candidates advancing to the city’s general election.”
“One TikTok user posted video interviews with three individuals identified as Skid Row residents who said they were paid a few dollars to vote for Mayor Karen Bass. ... L.A. County election officials responded ... saying that there was no evidence the woman voted for Bass for $5 and that the woman is registered to vote in Inglewood.”
“Pratt’s candidacy was fueled by celebrity ... But his campaign also reflected frustration that political leaders have been unable or unwilling to address chronic problems. Pratt had relentlessly focused on homelessness, crime and decay.”
“The Los Angeles mayoral race is the clearest example yet of how prediction market posts ... are being weaponized on X to sow doubt about the integrity of elections.”
“Pratt started the three-minute video by saying that the 'campaign portion of my mission to save Los Angeles is coming to a close.' The video then turned out to be less about conceding the election and more about Pratt’s plan to continue fighting.”
“Kalshi sought to clean up apparent messes on Friday after some of its influencer relationships essentially made it look like it was paying to distribute conspiracy content online. Posts have now been removed at Kalshi’s request.”