Spencer Pratt, Reality TV Star, Gains Ground in LA Mayoral Race After Wildfire Loss

Former reality television star Spencer Pratt, 42, has emerged as a formidable contender in the Los Angeles mayoral race, according to recent polling that suggests his unconventional campaign may be gaining traction in a tightly contested primary. The former MTV star, best known for his role on *The Hills*, launched his bid for the mayor's office in January amid mounting public frustration over Karen Bass's handling of the catastrophic Palisades wildfires that erupted in early 2025. The fires, which killed 12 residents and displaced thousands, became a flashpoint for criticism of the incumbent mayor, who was on a diplomatic trip to Ghana at the time of the disaster. Pratt, who lost his home in the blaze, has since positioned himself as a critic of city leadership, leveraging his personal connection to the tragedy as a campaign platform.

A recent poll conducted by the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs reveals that while Bass remains ahead in the race, her lead is narrow and fragile. The survey, which included 813 likely primary voters between March 15 and March 29, found that 25 percent of respondents plan to vote for Bass in the June primary. Pratt trails closely behind with 11 percent, while City Councilmember Nithya Raman, a longtime ally of Bass, secures 9 percent. Other candidates, including Pastor Rae Chen Huang and entrepreneur Adam Miller, each garner 3 percent. Notably, 9 percent of respondents remain undecided, a figure that has raised eyebrows among political analysts.

Zev Yaroslavsky, director of UCLA Luskin and a former Los Angeles elected official, emphasized the significance of the high undecided voter percentage. "It is unusual for 40 percent of likely voters to be unsure of their choice just two months before an LA mayoralty election," he said. "Although Mayor Bass faces the most challenging reelection of an incumbent mayor in decades, this election is likely to be decided in a November runoff. A lot can change between now and then, so it's a wide-open race." The poll's margin of error was 4 percent, and similar results were echoed in a separate survey by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies, which found Bass leading with 25 percent, Raman at 17 percent, and Pratt at 14 percent.

Bass's approval ratings have plummeted in the wake of the Palisades fire, with 56 percent of polled voters viewing her unfavorably compared to 31 percent who hold a favorable opinion. Her administration's response to the disaster, including delayed emergency services and criticism of evacuation protocols, has fueled public discontent. Meanwhile, Pratt's campaign has capitalized on this discontent, though his independent status complicates the race. Los Angeles's unique primary system requires the top two candidates to face off in a November runoff unless one secures over 50 percent of the vote in June. Bass, who won comfortably in 2021, now faces an uphill battle as her approval numbers lag far behind her previous tenure.

Dan Schnur, a politics professor at UC Berkeley and Pepperdine University, described Bass's current polling as "borderline catastrophic" for her campaign. "That she's having this much trouble against this field, against such a little-known field of opponents, bodes very, very poorly for her," Schnur told *The Los Angeles Times*. "The only thing saving her at this point is that the top tier of potential candidates who were considering running against her decided to stay out of this race." Pratt's rise, however, has been fueled in part by his personal experience with the fire. He and his wife, Heidi Montag, lost their home in the blaze, a fact that has amplified his credibility as a candidate critical of city leadership.

As the June primary looms, the mayoral race has become a referendum on trust in Bass's administration and the broader challenges facing Los Angeles. With undecided voters comprising nearly half of the electorate, the outcome remains uncertain. For Pratt, the path to victory hinges on mobilizing disillusioned residents and capitalizing on the perception that Bass's leadership has faltered in the face of crisis. For Bass, the stakes are nothing short of her political survival, as the city braces for a runoff that could redefine its future.

The political firestorm surrounding Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has intensified as recent polling reveals a stark shift in public sentiment, with over 58% of respondents now viewing her handling of the city's recent wildfires as "inadequate" or "disregardful." The backlash comes amid growing frustration from residents who accuse her of prioritizing political optics over immediate action during the crisis. At the heart of the controversy is a damning accusation: that Bass was "ruthlessly blasted" for her absence during the height of the disaster, a period when thousands were left without shelter and emergency services were stretched to their limits.

The most vocal critic in this escalating feud is actor and aspiring politician Will Smith's friend, Mark Pratt, who has publicly lambasted Bass for what he calls her "callous indifference" to the plight of fire victims. Pratt, whose own home was reduced to ashes in the inferno, has repeatedly tied his wife Heidi Montag's loss to what he describes as a "systemic failure" in LA's emergency response infrastructure. His rhetoric has grown increasingly pointed, with recent social media posts accusing Bass of "abdication of duty" and "deliberate neglect" in her recovery efforts.

Pratt's personal anguish has become a central narrative in his bid for office, with campaign materials now highlighting his family's ordeal as a catalyst for his political awakening. "I won't let another family lose their home because of bureaucratic incompetence," he declared at a recent town hall, his voice shaking with emotion as he described the smoldering ruins of his once-vibrant estate. His campaign has since framed Bass's leadership as emblematic of a broader dysfunction in city governance, a narrative that resonates with constituents weary of repeated disasters and unmet promises.

The Daily Mail has sought clarification from both Bass's office and Pratt's campaign team, though neither has responded to requests for comment. Meanwhile, the political theater surrounding the crisis has only deepened, with analysts warning that the fallout could reshape the city's electoral landscape. As the smoke from the wildfires still lingers, the battle lines between Bass and Pratt have grown sharper, each side accusing the other of complicity in a tragedy that has left the city's residents reeling.

The stakes are no longer confined to policy debates or media headlines. For every resident who lost their home, for every first responder who worked 18-hour shifts without relief, the question now looms: will this crisis finally force a reckoning with the systemic failures that allowed it to unfold? Or will the political posturing continue, leaving the city to pick up the pieces alone?