Nithya Raman has slipped past former reality TV star Spencer Pratt in the latest Los Angeles mayoral tally, grabbing second place and a potential ticket to a November showdown with Mayor Karen Bass.
County updates released over the weekend wiped out Pratt’s early election night lead as waves of late-counted mail ballots broke sharply for the progressive councilmember. The reversal capped a five-day comeback that began after Election Day while the registrar continued to process vote-by-mail, provisional, and outstanding ballots.
Democratic incumbent Karen Bass is still out front with 250,871 votes (34.68%), while Raman sits at roughly 196,198 votes (27.12%) to Pratt’s 193,085 (26.69%), putting Raman ahead by about 3,113 ballots. Those figures come from the Los Angeles County registrar’s latest tally, as reported by NBC Los Angeles.
Late Counted Ballots Flipped The Race
Political analysts and campaign insiders say the turnabout has everything to do with how Californians vote. Pratt performed strongly with early in-person and drop-box voters, while many of Raman’s supporters mailed in ballots that were processed days later.
The pattern was documented in a Los Angeles Times report, which noted the trend as her campaign publicly cheered the late surge. In a statement, the campaign said, “We are encouraged by the latest vote count and remain grateful to the thousands of Angelenos who have powered this campaign.”
This kind of slow-motion plot twist is familiar in California’s largely vote-by-mail system, where late-arriving ballots often scramble what looked like firm election night standings.
Pratt Pushes Back
Pratt, who was comfortably in second place on election night, has pushed back against the late-count drama on social media. He posted, “They're not the only ones who know where to find votes,” according to the Los Angeles Times.
He also told his supporters that the tallying would continue for weeks and urged patience while the registrar works through the remaining ballots.
Federal Review And What Comes Next
The post-Election Day swings have attracted extra attention from federal authorities. The U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles said it has opened “multiple election fraud investigations” and dispatched a prosecutor to observe the county's ballot processing, as reported by The Associated Press.
County officials, for their part, emphasize that outside observers regularly monitor the process. Under state law, California counties must finalize official results by July 2, and the Secretary of State is scheduled to certify statewide results on July 10, according to the California Secretary of State.
Outstanding Ballots Could Still Shift The Math
Los Angeles County’s own estimate shows roughly 463,180 ballots still to be processed, most of them voted by mail, according to the Los Angeles County Registrar. The office has scheduled daily updates during the canvass.
Many of those outstanding ballots are concentrated in heavily Democratic neighborhoods, which helps explain Raman’s late-game climb but also means the margin between her and Pratt could still move before the count is complete. County officials will continue posting updated tallies through the canvass, with final certification expected in early July.
