Story perspectives

LA Mayoral Primary Tight; Pratt Leads Fundraising

6/2/2026

Summary

Story summary

Voters will cast ballots on June 2 2026 in the Los Angeles mayoral primary featuring Karen Bass, Nithya Raman, and Spencer Pratt.
A UC Berkeley–Los Angeles Times poll of 1,351 likely voters gave Bass 26 percent, Raman 25 percent, and Pratt 22 percent, with about 10 percent undecided.
Pratt raised $2.7 million between April 19 and May 16, about ten times Bass’s fundraising in that span.
State law requires a November runoff between the top two vote-getters if no candidate exceeds 50 percent.

History

Historical Context

The April 20, 1993 Los Angeles mayoral election—followed by a June 8 runoff—was the first in 64 years without an incumbent and ended Tom Bradley’s five-term streak, electing Republican Richard Riordan, the city’s first GOP mayor in 36 years. That upset showed how nonpartisan municipal races can shift power when fundraising and outsider appeal diverge, a pattern echoed in today’s 2026 primary.

1 of 2

Story summary

Voters will cast ballots on June 2 2026 in the Los Angeles mayoral primary featuring Karen Bass, Nithya Raman, and Spencer Pratt.
A UC Berkeley–Los Angeles Times poll of 1,351 likely voters gave Bass 26 percent, Raman 25 percent, and Pratt 22 percent, with about 10 percent undecided.
Pratt raised $2.7 million between April 19 and May 16, about ten times Bass’s fundraising in that span.
State law requires a November runoff between the top two vote-getters if no candidate exceeds 50 percent.

1 / 2