In the Los Angeles mayoral primary, progressive City Council member Nitya Raman will take on reality TV star Spencer Pratt and face incumbent Mayor Karen Bass.
California gubernatorial candidates Steyer, Hilton and Becerra speak on primary night
On election night, California gubernatorial candidates Tom Steyer, Steve Hilton, and Xavier Becerra speak as primary vote counting continues.
The results of California’s primary election are reminiscent of the MTV reality show “The Hills,” with former villain Spencer Pratt ousted in the Los Angeles mayoral race.
Meanwhile, billionaire businessman and Democrat Tom Steyer remains behind British-born Republican political strategist Steve Hilton in the race to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom, an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump.
The candidates who advance to the November general election will face former U.S. Secretary of Health Xavier Becerra, who has already been voted forward by voters in the Golden State.
Each California election offers voters an up-close look at the nation’s most populous state’s unique “jungle” primary, with the top two candidates advancing regardless of party.
California is attracting significant national attention as observers await the results of both primaries. Pratt, a conservative political outsider, is banking on dissatisfaction from incumbent Mayor Karen Bass’ handling of last year’s Los Angeles wildfires in his ambitious bid to unseat the former congressman.
All eyes are now on the Democratic Party, which is aiming to succeed Newsom in the gubernatorial election. Former Rep. Eric Swalwell, once considered a front-runner, resigned from Congress and withdrew from the race on April 14 following allegations of sexual misconduct.
Did Spencer Pratt win? Nithya Raman talks to ‘The Hills’ alumnus
In the Los Angeles mayoral race, Los Angeles City Council member Nithya Raman is closing in on Pratt. Mr. Basu is currently in first place with 34.81% of the vote and will advance to the general election in November, while Mr. Raman is in third place with 26.21% of the vote, a close difference to Mr. Platt who is currently in second place with 27.32%. Primary election votes are still being counted.
Bass was followed by Pratt at 28.24% and Raman at 24.89%, according to the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder and County Clerk on Friday, June 5th. Raman’s 1.32 percentage point increase since Friday was significant for her campaign.
The Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk processed 156,965 ballots on June 6th. The total number of ballots processed is 1,774,846, according to the department. This represents 30.12% of registered voters.
Who will compete to replace Gavin Newsom: Steve Hilton or Tom Steyer?
The battle with former Health Secretary Becerra remains fundamentally unchanged. Republican challenger Steve Hilton received 26.1% of the vote, compared to 26.4% the day before. Mr. Steyer rose slightly more, but remained in third place, up 21.3% from 21.1%, according to the California Secretary of State’s Office.
The gubernatorial election has attracted national attention from the beginning. Former Vice President Kamala Harris announced in July last year that she would not run for governor, raising questions about her ability to run for president again.
Sen. Alex Padilla, the state’s senior senator, has declined to run in November 2025. Rep. Katie Porter, who faced major controversy after a video surfaced of her taunting a former congressional staffer, used the viral backlash in a campaign ad. “So, could you all please step away from my shooting?” Porter joked.
June 7 will be the sixth day after in-person voting ends on June 2 that California state election officials will process primary ballots postmarked by Election Day. President Trump, who gave Hilton over Sheriff Chad Bianco a much-needed endorsement, is scrutinizing the slow-moving tally.
In a series of posts on his Truth social media platform, Trump wrote that Democrats were “stealing votes” in the gubernatorial race, without providing evidence.
Pratt also posted a meme on June 6th that questioned the security of the Los Angeles election. He wrote, “Trying to understand how votes are counted in Los Angeles.”
California election officials say the state is experiencing an influx of mail-in ballots, which will take time to count.
Singer Natasha Bedingfield declares, “The rest is yet to be written” in the “Hills” theme song, which Raman used in the closing campaign ad.
Contributions: Terry Collins, Paris Barazza
