Three Days Later, Los Angeles Still Hasn’t Called The Race

Three days after Los Angeles voters went to the polls, election officials still have not called the race for second place in the city’s mayoral primary, even as Spencer Pratt continues to hold a clear lead over his closest rival.

Pratt, the reality television star running as an independent candidate, finished Election Night with 30.4 percent of the vote.

That put him well ahead of progressive Los Angeles City Councilwoman Nithya Raman, who stood at 22.3 percent.

Despite Pratt’s eight-point advantage and hundreds of thousands of ballots already counted, officials and media outlets have continued to characterize the contest as too close to call.

As more ballots have been processed, Pratt’s lead has narrowed slightly. But he remains in second place by a meaningful margin.

The latest update shows Pratt at 29.4 percent, compared to Raman at 23.4 percent, leaving him with a six-point lead.

Incumbent Mayor Karen Bass remains in first place with roughly 35 percent of the vote and is widely expected to advance to the November runoff.

The unresolved question is whether Raman can somehow close the remaining gap and overtake Pratt for the second runoff position.

Election officials say hundreds of thousands of ballots may still be uncounted. Analysts have suggested that many of those remaining ballots could favor Democrats based on historical voting patterns, giving Raman a possible path to narrowing the race.

But that theory is not guaranteed.

The remaining ballots are expected to come from different voting methods and geographic areas, meaning they may not follow the same pattern as earlier batches.

Los Angeles County officials have not provided a firm estimate of how many outstanding ballots are from within city limits.

What is certain is that the count will continue for days.

Additional ballot updates are scheduled daily through at least June 12. Ballots postmarked by Election Day may still be accepted if they arrive by June 9.

The drawn-out process has fueled criticism from President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly blasted California’s election system and questioned why major races remain unresolved after Election Day.

“Here we go with the very late and massive numbers of MAIL IN BALLOTS,” Trump wrote.

In another post, President Trump accused Democrats of “trying to steal” both the California governor’s race and the Los Angeles mayoral contest.

He later added, “Look what’s happening in California, the Dumocrats, right before our very eyes, are stealing the Vote.”

The president did not provide evidence to support those claims, but his criticism reflects a broader concern among conservatives who argue that prolonged ballot counting weakens public confidence in elections.

California officials and Democrats pushed back quickly.

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office responded on social media by saying, “Trump is lying about California again.”

Election officials argue that California’s process is operating under state law. Every registered voter receives a mail ballot, and ballots sent through the mail are counted as long as they are postmarked on or before Election Day and arrive within the legal deadline.

Officials also point to signature verification and ballot curing procedures as reasons the process takes longer.

Orange County Registrar of Voters Bob Page argued that modern counting procedures are actually faster than previous systems.

Still, for many voters watching the Los Angeles race, the issue is not simply whether the rules are being followed. It is whether a system that allows major contests to remain unsettled for days or even weeks can maintain public trust.

Meanwhile, Pratt has remained upbeat.

When asked about the race, a representative for Pratt directed reporters to a short message the candidate posted on X.

“God always wins.”

For now, Pratt remains in second place and continues to hold a significant lead over Raman, The Associated Press reported.

But Los Angeles voters are still waiting for election officials to decide whether that lead is enough to call the race, or whether the city will remain stuck in another extended California ballot count.

Three days after Election Day, the facts remain simple: Spencer Pratt is ahead, Karen Bass is likely headed to the runoff, and California’s slow counting process is once again under national scrutiny.