Three days after Los Angeles voters cast ballots, election officials have not called the second-place race in the city’s mayoral primary despite one candidate maintaining a significant lead.
Reality television star and independent candidate Spencer Pratt finished Election Night with 30.4 percent of the vote, ahead of progressive City Councilwoman Nithya Raman at 22.3 percent. Incumbent Mayor Karen Bass leads the race with approximately 35 percent and is expected to advance to the November runoff.
The Ongoing Count
As additional ballots have been processed, Pratt’s lead has narrowed to six percentage points, with him at 29.4 percent compared to Raman’s 23.4 percent. Los Angeles County officials say hundreds of thousands of ballots may still remain uncounted across the city.
Vote counting is expected to continue for several more days, with additional ballot reports scheduled daily through at least June 12. Ballots postmarked by Election Day can still be accepted if they arrive by June 9.
Many analysts expect the remaining ballots to lean more Democratic than votes counted so far, fueling speculation that Raman could eventually close the gap. However, supporters of that theory acknowledge there is no guarantee current trends will continue.
The Political Response
The prolonged counting process has drawn criticism from President Donald Trump, who questioned California’s election system in social media posts. “Here we go with the very late and massive numbers of MAIL IN BALLOTS,” Trump wrote, later accusing Democrats of attempting to steal the race.
Trump did not provide evidence to support those claims. California officials and Democrats quickly responded, with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office stating on social media, “Trump is lying about California again.”
Election officials noted that California’s voting system allows every registered voter to receive a ballot by mail, with ballots counted if postmarked on or before Election Day and arriving within legally established deadlines. Orange County Registrar of Voters Bob Page argued that modern counting procedures are actually faster than previous election systems.
What Comes Next
Pratt has remained publicly optimistic about the race, with a representative directing reporters to a message the candidate posted on social media: “God always wins.”
Despite Pratt’s meaningful advantage, Los Angeles voters continue waiting for officials to formally call the race as the counting process extends beyond Election Day.
This story has been updated. CNN’s Digital Politics team contributed to this report.
