Mayor Karen Bass led challenger Spencer Pratt in very early returns on Tuesday in the Los Angeles mayoral primary, a race that highlighted competing visions for addressing homelessness, public safety, affordability and City Hall accountability.
As of 8:15 pm, following the Los Angeles County Registrar’s first release of election results, Bass held 38.07% of the vote, followed by Pratt with around 27.95%. Nithya Raman was in third with 20.06%, followed by Adam Miller with 4.69%.
Those results largely reflected vote-by-mail ballots processed before Election Day. A candidate who receives more than 50% of the vote wins outright. If no candidate reaches that threshold, the top two finishers will advance to a Nov. 3 runoff.
• Also see: June 2 Primary Election Results
Los Angeles residents also voted in other races, city attorney and controller, seven seats on the City Council, two ballot measures, two seats on the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education and posts in the U.S. House of Representatives and the state Senate and Assembly. For results, log in to this newspaper’s website.
Bass, first elected mayor in 2022, campaigned on stability, experience and what she described as measurable progress on some of the city’s most difficult challenges.
Throughout the race, she highlighted declining street homelessness counts and crime statistics, rebuilding efforts following the January 2025 Palisades fire and increased housing production as evidence that Los Angeles is moving in the right direction.
The mayor also entered the race with support from much of the Democratic establishment, including endorsements from Gov. Gavin Newsom, former Vice President Kamala Harris, Sen. Adam Schiff, a majority of the City Council, as well as backing from major labor organizations.
At the same time, Bass faced criticism over homelessness conditions, affordability concerns and persistent voter frustration over public safety, city services and other quality-of-life issues across the city. Opponents also continued to criticize Bass over the city’s response to the Palisades fire and subsequent recovery efforts.
Councilmember Raman, who previously supported Bass’ reelection bid, has positioned herself as a challenger from the left, centering her campaign on housing affordability, tenant protections and government reform.
Raman argues the current administration’s approach to homelessness — including the mayor’s flagship Inside Safe program — is too costly and incremental, and has called for broader structural changes to address housing affordability, homelessness and city services.
Former reality television star Pratt, whose family lost its home in the Palisades fire, entered the race as an outsider candidate and one of Bass’ most vocal critics.
Pratt called for expanded police staffing, mandatory treatment for homeless people struggling with addiction and greater accountability in city government. He argued that both Bass and Raman represented a political establishment that had failed to adequately address affordability, public safety and homelessness.
The race also included tech entrepreneur Adam Miller and housing advocate Rae Huang, along with nine other candidates.
The winner of the November runoff will lead Los Angeles as city leaders navigate budget pressures, public safety and homelessness challenges, wildfire recovery efforts and preparations for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.