LA Democrats Brace for a Bruising Bass–Raman Runoff After Spencer Pratt's Exit

LOS ANGELES — Spencer Pratt’s shock-driven, profanity-laced campaign may be out of the running, but its reverberations are reshaping the city’s political landscape. Progressive City Council member Nithya Raman overtook Pratt for second place, setting up a November runoff against incumbent Mayor Karen Bass.

Pratt repeatedly used dehumanizing language about parts of the city — coining phrases such as “Naked Zombies,” “Super meth” and “coilers” (a vulgar reference to excrement) — that many Democratic operatives say degraded public discourse and distracted from policy debates. While his elimination offered a momentary sigh of relief, many insiders worry the real danger now is an intense, costly intra-party fight between Bass and Raman.

“No city should have to deal with someone who thinks of any part of this population as ‘zombies’ or centers their campaign conversation around feces, or ‘super meth.’ So, good riddance,”

said Jeremy Oberstein, a Democratic strategist who has not yet endorsed either candidate. Still, he and others described the mood as emotional whiplash — relief quickly followed by anxiety about a divisive two-person contest.

LA Forward Executive Director David Levitus, whose group urged voters to back Raman to block Pratt from the general election, said: “I felt a sense of relief. Then very soon after it’s: Oh God, we’re going to be in a fight between two people where we have friends on all sides, and this is not going to be fun.”

Two-Democrat runoffs are not unprecedented in Los Angeles: Jim Hahn lost to Antonio Villaraigosa in 2005, and Eric Garcetti defeated Wendy Greuel in 2013. But observers say this campaign carries a sharper edge because Raman’s surprise late entry and the candidates’ overlapping networks at City Hall have personal as well as political stakes.

Former City Council member Mike Bonin, who knows both candidates, called the matchup painful for insiders who must continue working with both leaders day-to-day. “It’s always hard when two people that you know and like are running against each other,” he said.

What’s at Stake

Many in Bass’s coalition privately preferred a head-to-head with Pratt, reasoning the incumbent would have an easy path to victory in a deeply Democratic city. A Berkeley IGS poll cited by strategists showed Bass leading Pratt by double digits in a hypothetical two-way race, while the same poll indicated a much tighter contest between Bass and Raman.

Business groups and the police union, which had sought to elevate Pratt, now face the prospect of an expensive and bruising intra-party campaign. “There’s definitely a sense of, ‘OK, we’ve got to dig in and work hard now,’” said Areen Ibranossian, a strategist aligned with business-backed efforts for Bass. “It’s not going to be the easy campaign; it’ll be the tougher one.”

Doug Herman, a strategist for Bass, emphasized the mayor’s citywide coalition and framed the primary as proof of her approach. He also criticized Raman’s record on homelessness and public safety, arguing those positions risk returning the city to a failed status quo.

Lingering Fallout

Pratt had not conceded as of Thursday and did not respond to requests for comment. Some supporters have promoted unfounded claims about the election’s integrity — a small group even hired a plane to fly a banner reading “Stop the Steal! Help us Trump!” over Santa Monica Bay.

Many Democratic operatives say Pratt’s coarse tactics tarnished civic debate and left a residue of cynicism. Some wonder if Pratt will honor an earlier pledge to leave Los Angeles if he lost — but most agree that, whether or not he departs, the coming months will demand more money, organization and careful messaging from both campaigns.

“Maybe Spencer Pratt will move out of Los Angeles as he promised,” Oberstein said. “But let’s move on now, and let’s figure out what this campaign can look like, and not resort to our most animalistic instincts here.”