Socialist Nithya Raman Who Pushed to Reform ‘Mansion Tax’ Surges Ahead of Reality Star Spencer Pratt in L.A. Mayor’s Race

Nithya Raman, a City Council Member and member of the Democratic Socialists of America, has surged ahead of reality television personality Spencer Pratt in the race for the second spot in the Los Angeles mayoral runoff election. As of Monday, Raman held a lead of just over 3,000 votes, moving into second place behind incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, who secured first place comfortably. Pratt, a registered Republican running as an independent, initially held an 8.1-percentage point advantage after the June 2 vote, but Raman's lead grew as mail-in ballots were tallied. The Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk reported that Bass has 34.68% of the vote, Raman has 27.12%, and Pratt has 26.69%. An estimated 150,000 ballots remain to be processed, making the outcome too close to definitively call. President Donald Trump has publicly questioned Raman's late surge, alleging ballot tampering without providing evidence. California elections frequently take days to finalize due to the counting of mail-in ballots, which are valid if postmarked by Election Day and received within seven days.