Los Angeles mayoral candidate and former reality television star Spencer Pratt is facing an uphill battle as progressive forces in the city marshal to fight his campaign. A union-sponsored ad targets Pratt's ideas for one of America's most left-leaning cities, saying the former star of The Hills unduly targets the homeless and lobbies for more police instead of social workers. Filings from the city's Ethics Commission show the ad was funded by a group called 'LA Unions Opposed to Spencer Pratt for Mayor 2026,' sponsored by the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO.
Ad Could Backfire, Experts Say
American politicians, including Sen. Ted Cruz, say the ad could backfire on the coalition of California progressives out to stop Pratt, noting that Angelenos are increasingly frustrated with rising crime, open-air drug use, and homelessness, along with what is perceived as Mayor Karen Bass's administration's disinterest in combating these problems. Pratt, seen as a Republican outsider in a blue city, has launched an independent campaign against Bass and gained popularity after taking the mayor to task over crime, homelessness, and her response to the L.A. wildfires during a recent TV debate. He faces both Bass, a former Democratic congresswoman, and socialist councilwoman Nithya Raman.
Pratt Touches a Nerve
During a debate, Raman challenged Pratt over homelessness, to which Pratt replied: 'I will go with her beneath the Harbor Freeway tomorrow and we can find some of these people she's going to offer treatment for, and she's gonna get stabbed in the neck. These people do not want a bed. They want fentanyl or super meth.' Bass, the incumbent, is one of several American mayors increasingly seen as unwilling or unable to combat rising crime, high cost of living, homelessness, drug use, and violence due to ultra-progressive, 'woke' political ideologies. Pratt is tapping into residents' frustrations and making the race for mayor competitive, gaining tens of millions of views for his campaign ads.
