Spencer Pratt, a candidate in the Los Angeles mayoral race, raised questions about California's vote-counting system on Saturday night as his lead over Councilwoman Nithya Raman decreased. Pratt's lead had shrunk to less than 10,000 votes, down from approximately 40,000 votes earlier in the week. As of 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, Pratt had received 27.3% of the vote, while Raman had 26.2%, with 77% of the expected votes counted. In a post on X, Pratt expressed confusion about the vote counting process in Los Angeles.
This comment followed a statement from a Department of Justice official who debunked a social media claim that Pratt had not received any new votes in a recent update. The claim had been shared by Elon Musk, and former President Donald Trump has previously voiced concerns regarding mail-in voting and election fraud.
The top two candidates from the primary will advance to a runoff against current Mayor Karen Bass on November 3. California's election results can take longer to finalize due to the state's extensive use of mail-in voting, which requires officials to verify ballots, including those that arrive after Election Day.
Bill Essayli, the First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, announced the establishment of an election fraud tipline, encouraging individuals to report potential fraud cases. Raman reportedly received twice as many votes as Pratt on Friday. Bass, who was elected mayor in 2022, has been endorsed by Governor Gavin Newsom. Pratt, a former reality TV star, has recently gained popularity despite skepticism about a Republican candidate's chances in a predominantly Democratic city.
