Trump 2024 pollster Jim McLaughlin said Wednesday that Spencer Pratt has an opening in the Los Angeles mayoral race but must quickly pivot from reality-TV insurgent to credible executive. The Republican needs a substantive policy agenda to turn anti-incumbent sentiment into a runoff victory over Mayor Karen Bass.
Bass advanced to the November 3 runoff after Tuesday’s nonpartisan primary, with approximately 36% of early votes counted by an Associated Press projection. Pratt trailed at roughly 29%, narrowly ahead of City Councilwoman Nithya Raman at 21%.
Speaking on “Wake Up America,” McLaughlin argued that the numbers favor a challenger if Pratt can consolidate support among voters who backed other candidates. “65% of Los Angeles voters voted against Karen Bass, so those other voters are up for grabs with you,” he said. “You have to go and get them.”
McLaughlin criticized California’s pace of vote counting while stressing he was not alleging irregularities. “What’s crazy is how slowly they count the votes there,” he said. “And yes, everything is above board.” He added that the delay fuels public frustration: “It begs the question where people ask, ‘What the heck is going on?’”
McLaughlin, whose firm McLaughlin & Associates has worked for former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and on President Donald Trump’s campaigns, framed the next phase as a credibility test. “We worked for Arnold Schwarzenegger when he was the governor out there, and obviously, that was statewide,” he said.
He stated that Pratt must clear what McLaughlin described as an “almost the commander in chief, the executive” threshold. “If you’re Spencer Pratt, you’ve got to make sure you pass that,” he said. “He’s got to come out with some real issue ideas, a real agenda to make people’s lives better because they have real problems out in L.A.”
Bass entered Tuesday with a lopsided lead among Black voters and broad name recognition from her career, which includes service in the California State Assembly and U.S. House.
Pratt, who lost his home in the January 2025 Palisades fire, has run an outsider campaign criticizing Bass over potholes, public safety, and the city’s wildfire response.
Whether Pratt or Raman lands the second slot remained unresolved Wednesday as Los Angeles County continued tallying mail and drop-box ballots. Final certification is expected within the month.
