Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt saw his support surge in the latest Emerson College Polling/Inside California Politics poll, following his standout performance during the contest’s first debate. Pratt’s approval rating has more than doubled since March, jumping from 10% to 22%, a gain of 12 percentage points—the highest among all candidates.
Incumbent Mayor Karen Bass remains in the lead with 30%, up from 20% in March, while Socialist-aligned Democrat Nithya Raman also achieved significant growth, reaching 19% support from 9%. The gains by the top three candidates appear to have come primarily from voters who were undecided in March. That group had comprised 51% of all voters at that time but has now dropped to just 16%.
During the debate last week, Pratt criticized both Bass and Raman’s claims about reducing homelessness through liberal programs. He stated: “The reality is, no matter how many beds you give these people, they are on super meth. They are on fentanyl. The DEA statistic says 93% of this is a drug addiction problem.” Pratt also added: “I will go below the Harbor Freeway tomorrow with [Raman], and we can find some of these people she’s going to offer treatment for. She’s going to get stabbed in the neck!”
Raman, who serves as a city councilwoman, appeared unprepared for several questions during the debate and struggled to differentiate herself from Bass, her former ally. Pratt has also secured a fundraising advantage, outpacing all other candidates in donations thus far this campaign.
Prediction market Kalshi reported that Raman’s chances of winning the mayoral race have plummeted from 64% to 14% since the debate. The nonpartisan race will culminate in a primary election on June 2, with the winner declared mayor if they secure more than 50% of the vote; otherwise, the top two candidates advance to a November general election.
