Spencer Pratt's chances of winning LA mayoral race surge after spectacular TV debate that saw ex-reality star eviscerate Democrat rivals

By WILL POTTER, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 21:04, 8 May 2026 | Updated: 21:25, 8 May 2026 Reality TV star Spencer Pratt's chances of winning the Los Angeles mayoral race have surged following a headline-grabbing debate performance against his woke rivals, according to trading platform Kalshi. The 42-year-old has overtaken LA City Councilwoman Nithya Raman this week after eviscerating her on the debate stage, the latest odds reveal. The market gives Pratt a 28 percent chance of capturing the mayor's office compared to Raman's 20 percent, with incumbent Mayor Karen Bass in the lead on 48 percent.  Voters are just weeks away from casting their ballots on June 2, and Pratt appears to have timed his campaign blitz just in time, with his odds more than doubling in the past month.  At a debate on Wednesday night, Pratt was declared the winner over Bass and Raman by 79 percent of viewers polled by NBC, as his brash style won praise from many.  Pratt especially dominated Raman, reducing her to a 'random city council member' in a jibe at Raman that went viral on social media. The remark came as Raman accused the ex-The Hills star of teaming up with Bass to drive her out of the race, claiming they want to run only against each other 'because they think that is what will help them win.' After the comment drew laughs from the audience, Pratt mocked the notion as he said: 'Mayor Bass and I are definitely not working together. I blame this person for burning my house down.' Los Angeles mayoral hopeful Spencer Pratt has surged ahead after he eviscerated his woke rival in a heated debate on Wednesday night Prediction markets now give Pratt a 28 percent chance of capturing the mayor's office, compared to Nithya Raman's (right) 20 percent and incumbent Mayor Karen Bass (left) in the lead at 48 percent  Pratt launched his campaign after becoming a vocal critic of Bass's tenure as mayor, in particular after his $3.8 million home burned down in the LA wildfires in January last year.  The aspiring politician said he would much rather face only Raman in the election without Bass. 'All the unions support Mayor Bass,' he said. 'You think it's easier to run against the incumbent mayor with all the unions, or a random city council member who has been a failure for six years?' The star accused Bass of mismanaging the response to the fires, which went on to burn down over 11,000 other structures and cause billions in damage.  Although he registered as a Republican for the election, Pratt said his campaign is not centered on party affiliation, as he has also made fixing Los Angeles' issues with homelessness and drug use central to his candidacy.  Recent polls show Pratt making gains before voters head to the polls on June 2, with the election heading to a runoff on November 3 if no candidate wins over 50 percent of the vote. Pratt, who is married to reality TV star Heidi Montag (above, with their two children), has surged in the LA mayoral race in recent weeks, basing his platform on scathing Bass's handling of the Palisades fire that devastated his home and rampant homelessness across the city Pratt's $3.8 million family home was burned in the Palisades fire in January 2025  Are voters becoming more open to celebrity politicians - or does fame make serious leadership harder to trust? What's your view?Pratt registered at 14 percent support in a UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies Poll last month, coming behind Bass at 25 percent and Raman at 17 percent. The debate on Wednesday appeared to only strengthen Pratt in the eyes of many, as pundits said the reality TV star came across as slick and no-nonsense compared to his competitors. LA Times columnist Gustavo Arellano said the debate had 'two winners and one loser,' as he slammed Raman for 'failing' to position herself as a leading candidate for voters. 'At times, Raman was tongue-tied trying to answer simple questions,' the columnist said. 'Raman, who had endorsed Bass’s reelection before throwing her hat in at the last minute, came off as inexperienced, touchy and unprepared.' Arellano added that the 'line of the night' came from Pratt, when he dismissed Raman as a 'random councilmember.' He said the line is: 'How the LA political world responded to her entry into the race' and stands in stark contrast to Pratt's 'boisterous bro' image on the debate stage. Assessments of the debate broadly deemed that Raman (above) struggled against Pratt and Bass, with LA Times columnist Gustavo Arellano concluding that the debate had 'two winners and one loser' Meghan McCain was among those who praised Pratt for his performance on Wednesday night as 'absolute raw talent,' describing him as having 'killed the debate.' 'This is not hyperbole -@spencerpratt is the blueprint for how my generation of older millennials needs to communicate and present their ideas and campaign messaging when running for office,' McCain said on X. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.