Nithya Raman moved into second place in Los Angeles’ mayoral primary on Sunday, overtaking Spencer Pratt as the race tightened behind Mayor Karen Bass. With 27.1% of the vote counted so far, Raman led Pratt by 3,113 votes, while Bass remained in front with 34.7% and 15,691 votes.
The shift matters because the top two finishers are expected to advance to a Nov. 3 runoff, and Bass has already been determined by the to have qualified. Raman’s campaign said it was encouraged by the latest vote count, and the numbers had been moving her way over the past three or four days as mail ballots continued to come in.
On election night, Pratt held the early lead over the Los Angeles City Councilmember, but the count has kept changing as election officials process mail-in ballots. By Sunday’s latest update, Raman had 19,096 votes to Pratt’s 8,489, while Bass had 15,691. The race is still close enough that the order could matter for the runoff field, even though Raman has now pulled ahead.
That pattern fits a familiar one in Los Angeles elections. Analysts said Pratt likely drew support from conservative voters who were expected to vote earlier, while younger and more progressive voters often hold ballots longer. Paul Mitchell said each update has benefited Raman to varying degrees, and analyst Michael Trujillo said Pratt is close to flatlining at this point. Zev Yaroslavsky said the odds have shifted dramatically in Raman’s favor and that the trend has been clear over the last three or four days.
Pratt had become a national story during the mayor’s race and a fixture on conservative media, including, while Bass has already secured her place in the runoff. County officials will keep accepting mail-in ballots with a June 2 postmark through Tuesday, leaving the final second-place result dependent on the remaining count. For now, Raman is the candidate moving toward the runoff, and Pratt’s path back into second place is narrowing with each update.
