California\u2019s election results are still coming in from the June 2 primary.<\/p>\n
Making matters even more worrisome, Democratic leaders in the state claim it could take weeks to count all the ballots.<\/p>\n
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But in the Los Angeles mayoral contest, incumbent Democrat Karen Bass didn\u2019t crack the 51% needed to win outright, setting up a runoff in November.<\/p>\n
More importantly, there\u2019s a battle between former reality TV personality and Republican Spencer Pratt and City Council member and Democrat Nithya Raman.<\/p>\n
At the time of this writing on Thursday morning, Pratt is ahead and Raman would have to make up a huge number of votes.<\/p>\n
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\nRoughly 62% of the vote has been counted as of Wednesday night.<\/p>\n
Per the New York Times, here\u2019s where the voting totals stand as of this writing on Thursday morning:<\/p>\n
\u2013Karen Bass \u2014 183,701 (35%)
\n\u2013Spencer Pratt \u2014 157,116 (29.9%)
\n\u2013Nithya Raman \u2014 119,809 (22.8%)<\/p>\n
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So far, Pratt looks likely to square off against Bass in November.<\/p>\n
No Republican has won a mayoral race in Los Angeles in more than three decades.<\/p>\n
But the votes he has already earned reflect a real frustration among Angelenos with a city that has declined after years of Democratic rule.<\/p>\n
A business leader and former city council candidate said Spencer Pratt\u2019s rise in the Los Angeles mayoral race is a result of voters\u2019 unhappiness with the status quo on crime, the recent wildfires, and the unfriendly business climate.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think a lot of people are concerned about what\u2019s happening, they really don\u2019t know how to fix this, and I think the crime, the homelessness, the addiction, all the above behaviors of what\u2019s happened in our city,\u201d said John Putnam, the president of Putnam Brands & Putnam Accessory Group.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe politicians that are causing this, I think a lot people are seeing that,\u201d Putnam added.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I think Spencer\u2019s actually bringing the light in a real way. He\u2019s pretty basic with his delivery of his issues,\u201d Putnam continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I think that\u2019s resonating a lot. Even if you don\u2019t want to vote for him, you\u2019re listening, though and I think that\u2019s resonating with a lot of people,\u201d Putnam declared.<\/p>\n
\u201cCalifornia\u2019s got a big issue, but the city, especially where we live, Santa Monica, is a byproduct of what\u2019s happened in Los Angeles and across the world,\u201d Putnam said.<\/p>\n
This comes after two incidents of attempted election interference may have occurred in Long Beach and elsewhere before the June 2 primary election.<\/p>\n
Pratt announced the complaint Tuesday in a post on X.<\/p>\n
\u201cKaren Bass just violated election law here,\u201d Pratt wrote.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe is so accustomed to breaking the law with no accountability, she even filmed herself doing it. Well, those days are over. We just filed a formal complaint for illegally gaming the election. We must protect our democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pratt argued that Bass violated laws designed to prevent electioneering near voting locations.<\/p>\n
\u201cElectioneering within 100 feet of a ballot box is AGAINST THE LAW. Soliciting votes at a ballot box is AGAINST THE LAW,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese clear violations show a reckless disregard for the rule of law and our democratic process.\u201d<\/p>\n
The candidate went on to accuse Bass of believing different rules apply to elected officials.<\/p>\n
\u201cA person in a position of power such as Bass should be especially respectful of our democratic laws, but this is just emblematic of Karen\u2019s mafia-like regime. It\u2019s \u2018rules for thee, but not for me,\u2019\u201d Pratt said.<\/p>\n
Pratt included a photograph of the complaint filing in his social media post and vowed to pursue the matter.<\/p>\n
Under California law, candidates and campaign workers are prohibited from electioneering within 100 feet of a ballot drop box.<\/p>\n
Pratt\u2019s complaint centers on a campaign video posted by Bass that appeared to show her encouraging supporters to vote while standing near a ballot box.<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for Bass dismissed the complaint and questioned Pratt\u2019s campaign.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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