Spencer Pratt has emerged as a fundraising force in the Los Angeles mayor’s race — outpacing incumbent Karen Bass in the first filing period of the year.
Pratt, a former reality TV star on the MTV show “The Hills,” has raised nearly $540,000 since January in campaign disclosures reported this week to the city’s Ethics Commission, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The haul puts Bass on notice as the campaign enters its final stretch before the June 2 primary election.
The Republican’s fundraising also placed him ahead of lefty Councilmember Nithya Raman, who brought in about $530,000 over the first three and a half months of the year.
Bass, despite the advantages of incumbency, reported raising roughly $495,000 so far this year.
However, the mayor’s campaign war chest still far outpaces her competition. Bass reportedly had about $2.3 million in cash on hand from money raised the last two years.
Polling suggests no candidate is likely to secure more than 50% of the vote in June’s election to avoid a top-two runoff in November. More than a quarter of LA voters remained undecided last month, according to a UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll conducted with the Times.
Bass came in first with 25% support, followed by Raman at 17% and Pratt at 14%.
But a poll earlier this month by UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs showed Pratt in second place with 11% support, a twist that puts the celebrity candidate in a competitive position.
Dan Schnur, a political communications professor at USC and UC Berkeley, called Pratt a “legitimate top-tier candidate” in an interview with the Times.
“The odds are still against him winning in a deep blue city, but he has the potential to make a significant impact on the race,” Schnur said.
Tech entrepreneur Adam Miller, who loaned his campaign $2.5 million, has reportedly raised about $200,000 in donations, though polling has shown him trailing the leading candidates.
Schnur told the Times that the most recent fundraising numbers suggest the race may be closer than many initially expected.
“The fact that Bass hasn’t raised more than her challengers as the incumbent should be of some concern to her campaign,” he said.
Pratt, whose Pacific Palisades home was destroyed in the 2025 wildfire, has used his campaign to sharply criticize Bass handling of disaster response and recovery efforts, as well as the city’s homelessness crisis.
His campaign also is tapping into Angelenos’ frustrations over housing and public safety.
Pratt recently got the endorsement of influential podcaster and comedian Joe Rogan, which led TV personality Andy Cohen to call Rogan a “f—ing idiot.”
