All posts tagged: Bass

Nithya Raman Defeats Spencer Pratt, Will Advance to Runoff Vs. Bass

Nithya Raman Defeats Spencer Pratt, Will Advance to Runoff Vs. Bass

Published by Daniella Wilson

Spencer Pratt, who for a brief dizzying moment went from reality-show afterthought to the potential next mayor of Los Angeles, is back to being the person from that reality show. The Associated Press late Monday afternoon officially called second place for his progressive rival Nithya Raman, after six days of the City Council member steadily gaining ground as more and more ballots were counted. A new batch of votes Monday took Raman’s lead from 3,000 when the day started to more than 21,000 at its close. With just 8 percent, or 65,0000, of ballots outstanding, Raman’s lead was deemed insurmountable, and the AP called it. Raman will now face incumbent mayor Karen Bass in a November runoff in a battle between two onetime Democratic allies who will argue over whether the city needs a steady moderate hand or a new progressive one to combat the many issues facing it. Raman posted to X and Instagram several hours after the election was called, saying she was “incredibly honored that voters have given us the opportunity to …

Progressive Nithya Raman advances to November runoff against Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass

Progressive Nithya Raman advances to November runoff against Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass

Published by Sam Flores

Los Angeles mayoral candidates Nithya Raman and Spencer Pratt. Gina Ferazzi | Ronaldo Bolaños | Los Angeles Times | Getty Images Progressive city council member Nithya Raman has advanced to a November runoff against Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, setting up an unexpected matchup between two Democrats and former political allies to run the struggling city of nearly 4 million. The outcome means Spencer Pratt, a Republican and former reality television personality from “The Hills,” is out of the running. His candidacy had drawn national attention because of his celebrity and willingness to challenge liberal governance in a city dominated by Democrats, but the buzz did not translate into enough votes to make the runoff. Raman made a last-minute entry into the race, after she had endorsed Bass for reelection. She was elected to the council with the support of the Democratic Socialists of America, and the election will test whether voters in the heavily Democratic city want to move further to the political left to address long-running problems of homelessness, buckled streets and sidewalks and climbing rent and …

Nithya Raman advances over Spencer Pratt to face L.A. Mayor Karen Bass in a runoff

Nithya Raman advances over Spencer Pratt to face L.A. Mayor Karen Bass in a runoff

Published by Sam Flores

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass will face City Council member Nithya Raman in a runoff election for Bass’ job in November, NBC News projects, teeing up a one-on-one matchup between two Democrats. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content. Bass and Raman, who is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, emerged from a crowded all-party primary field that included former reality TV star Spencer Pratt, a registered Republican who ran an insurgent campaign focused on criticizing Bass for her response to the Los Angeles wildfires last year. See election results here. Since no candidate earned more than 50% of the vote, the top two finishers go to a runoff this fall. NBC News previously projected Bass would advance to the general election. While Pratt was in second place behind Bass on election night, the successive vote tallies have been more Democratic-leaning, allowing Raman to surpass Pratt. It’s part of a pattern all over California in this primary, with late-counted votes leaning more Democratic after a …

Who will face Karen Bass? LA voters still waiting to find out : NPR

Who will face Karen Bass? LA voters still waiting to find out : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

Results are still coming in from the mayoral primary in Los Angeles. LAist reporter Frank Stoltze discusses who may emerge to face Karen Bass in November. ADRIAN FLORIDO, HOST: We’re five days after the election. Results are still coming in in two big primary races for governor and for mayor of Los Angeles. In the race for governor, Democrat Xavier Becerra, who was President Biden’s health secretary, last night clinched one of two spots to run in the general election in November. The fight for second place is playing out between a Republican former Fox News host and another Democrat, a climate activist and billionaire. In the race for LA mayor, the incumbent, Democrat Karen Bass, has also advanced, but who she will be up against is also an open question. We’re joined now by NPR – excuse me – by reporter Frank Stoltze from NPR member station LAist. Frank, welcome. FRANK STOLTZE: Hi, Adrian. FLORIDO: Hi. Let’s start with this latest news about the race for governor. By advancing to the runoff in November, …

L.A. divided: Bass, Pratt and Raman dominated in different parts of the city

L.A. divided: Bass, Pratt and Raman dominated in different parts of the city

Published by Sam Flores

Mayor Karen Bass ran the table in South Los Angeles, Spencer Pratt found strong support from his Westside base, and Nithya Raman racked up votes in Echo Park and other neighborhoods with a concentration of renters, according to a Times analysis of partial precinct-level results from this week’s primary election. The Times analysis, based on an estimated 62% of the ballots counted so far, found that Pratt was favored in many of the same neighborhoods that voted for mayoral candidate Rick Caruso in 2022, while Raman made inroads in progressive areas dominated by Bass four years ago. Bass found support in neighborhoods along much of the Harbor and Santa Monica freeway corridors, along with central San Fernando Valley communities from Van Nuys to Arleta. With much of the vote left to be counted, a map prepared by The Times showing how neighborhoods voted represents a snapshot of an election still very much underway. Bass garnered enough votes on election night to qualify for a Nov. 3 runoff, the Associated Press determined, but votes are still …

How L.A. Mayor Karen Bass won a spot in the Nov. 3 runoff

How L.A. Mayor Karen Bass won a spot in the Nov. 3 runoff

Published by Sam Flores

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass took office four years ago with a reputation as a coalition builder — someone capable of bringing competing factions together to achieve a common goal. On Wednesday, that goal became Bass’ reelection this fall. In a bruising primary campaign, a broad coalition of supporters assembled by the mayor helped her secure a spot in the Nov. 3 runoff, even as her top two rivals — reality TV personality Spencer Pratt and City Councilmember Nithya Raman — battled for the second spot on the ballot. The mayor’s coalition featured organized labor, including the powerful police officers’ union; business leaders, working closely with Airbnb; the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, including key elected officials; and immigrant rights groups who applauded Bass for her condemnation of federal ICE raids. “You don’t often get business and labor on the same side. You don’t often get police and progressives on the same side,” said political strategist Kerman Maddox, a longtime friend of Bass, not long after the Associated Press declared Tuesday that Bass would make …

Bass, Raman or Pratt? Three L.A. residents explain who got their vote for mayor

Bass, Raman or Pratt? Three L.A. residents explain who got their vote for mayor

Published by Sam Flores

As the voters deliver their ballots to neighborhood drop-off sites and others wait to vote in person Tuesday, Times reporters fanned out across the city to ask residents whom they planned to support for mayor. Here is a sample of what voters said about their preferred candidate. ‘The other choices were not worth my vote’ Steven Travers57Glassell ParkSelf-employed Voter Steven Travers told The Times that he didn’t feel like there were many options for him in the mayoral election this year, except for the incumbent Karen Bass. Shopping at Vons in Echo Park, Travers said, “Just what I’ve seen of her, and you know, the way she speaks, she seems to be OK.” “I guess she’s done an OK job since she’s been the mayor,” Travers said. “The people she’s running against, I mean, there’s really nobody else that I think I would want to be in that position.” This decision to vote for Bass, despite the wide field of options, came down to how she had handled homelessness in the city and Travers’ neighborhood …

MTV star Spencer Pratt gaining in Los Angeles mayoral race against Karen Bass

MTV star Spencer Pratt gaining in Los Angeles mayoral race against Karen Bass

Published by Sam Flores

Spencer Pratt’s campaign for Los Angeles mayor began as a celebrity long shot. Days before Tuesday’s primary, the former MTV reality star is threatening to force incumbent Mayor Karen Bass into a November runoff. Pratt, best known for “The Hills,” is polling at 22% among likely voters in a new UC Berkeley-Los Angeles Times poll, just behind Bass at 26% and City Councilmember Nithya Raman at 25%. Pratt and Raman each gained eight percentage points since March, according to the poll. Los Angeles mayoral elections are nonpartisan. If no candidate wins more than 50% in Tuesday’s primary, the top two finishers advance to a November runoff. In a crowded field, that means Pratt does not need to win outright to upend the race — he only needs to finish ahead of Raman. Although the race is nonpartisan, Pratt is a registered Republican and has drawn attention from conservative media and Trump-aligned figures. He has rejected the “MAGA Republican” label and framed his campaign as a referendum on City Hall competence after the Pacific Palisades fire …

Poll shows Bass, Raman and Pratt in tight race for mayor

Poll shows Bass, Raman and Pratt in tight race for mayor

Published by Sam Flores

Karen Bass, Nithya Raman and Spencer Pratt are locked in a tight battle for Los Angeles mayor, according to a poll released Thursday, with incumbent Bass holding what pollsters called a statistically insignificant lead ahead of Tuesday’s primary. Bass had 26% support from likely voters, followed by City Councilmember Raman with 25% support, according to the poll by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies, which was co-sponsored by The Times. Pratt, the former reality TV personality making his first bid for elected office, had support from 22% of the likely voters surveyed. Up until this latest poll, Bass had enjoyed a substantial lead over her challengers, with analysts predicting she would garner enough votes to make a Nov. 3 runoff with either Raman or Pratt. The latest survey suggests any of the three could advance. “You’ve got three very different candidates, each with very different constituencies, all within the margin of error. It’s going to boil down to turnout,” said Mark DiCamillo, the director of Berkeley IGS polls. The poll also showed that in …

City Council progressives snub Raman, endorse Bass in L.A. mayor’s race

City Council progressives snub Raman, endorse Bass in L.A. mayor’s race

Published by Sam Flores

Three members of the Los Angeles City Council’s progressive bloc are throwing their support to Mayor Karen Bass in her bid for reelection, dealing a blow to challenger Nithya Raman, their progressive ally on the council. The council members endorsing Bass — Eunisses Hernandez, Ysabel Jurado and Hugo Soto-Martínez — are all members of the Democratic Socialists of America, as is Raman. The four routinely cast dissenting council votes on increased police spending and creation of new anti-encampment zones in the city. Hernandez and Jurado planned to announce their endorsements of Bass on Tuesday, with each citing Bass’ handling of the Trump administration’s immigration raids over the summer and her work to reduce homelessness as significant reasons for their support of the mayor. “When immigrant communities across our city came under attack, Karen Bass stood up and spoke out. She showed real leadership and conviction,” Hernandez, who represents a district running from Pico-Union to Highland Park, said in a statement. Soto-Martínez, who endorsed Bass earlier this year, joined his DSA colleagues with a statement saying …