Comment: Spencer Pratt could have been a real contender. His greatest enemy was himself

Spencer Pratt had a few things going for him when he launched a revolutionary campaign to become the next mayor of Los Angeles.

He had a heartwarming story that transformed him from a TV star to one of the thousands of residents who lost their homes in the Palisades fire last year. He faced an unpopular candidate for Mayor Karen Bass. He is backed by a strong social media presence and an angry voter who stands for change.

He was able to use those criteria to outwit his main rivals, Bass and city council member Nithya Raman, and turned his election from an afterthought into a national story. Running as a Republican in a blue-chip city like LA has put him at an automatic disadvantage — one that may be very difficult to overcome in the end. But the Pratt posse began to feel like a true movement when it became more popular, the kind of revolt against the old guard that led to the passage of Proposition 13 and the impeachment of Gov. Gray Davis – the kind of movement that forever changed California politics.

However, Pratt faced an insurmountable obstacle.

Pratt.

With nearly all votes counted, he will finish in third place with about 26% of the vote — the same fraction Donald Trump received in 2024 — while Bass and Raman continue to face off in November. Political strategists will teach his failed attempt to their clients as a warning of how a candidate can raise every advantage he has while he can’t afford to lose one.

Pratt’s first mistake was to assume that Angelenos wanted a campaign of unwanted outrage. Yes, many residents are angry about the state of the city. Yes, they want change. Yes, the angry Angeleno archetype is a real thing who is on fire in local elections to exact revenge on the powers that be.

But LA is not MAGAlandia – running from the apocalyptic right, short messages will only get you the few Republicans left in the city and some untouchable liberals. Pratt didn’t run for MAGA, but it’s hard to say he didn’t run like one — even when he swears he’s running for everyone.

He used every opportunity to ridicule the progressives in a city where four democratic socialists sit on the city council, one of them – Raman – has a good chance of becoming the next mayor, and five of the six endorsed by the local chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America have won outright or advanced to the national elections.

Instead of making changes to that side of crowdfunding, Pratt recorded videos of Bass’s trip to communist Cuba in the 1970s, a well-known fact that he took as a revelation and made Pratt sound like he was stuck at a John Birch Society meeting in 1965. simple juvenilia at a time when we already have a Big Juvenile Delinquent running things in the White House. Deriding the homeless as “zombies,” “wanderers” and “bums” only trivialized the worst aspects of the city and turned off anyone with a heart.

There is no doubt that Pratt attracted votes from many non-MAGAs who are frustrated with the various issues plaguing LA. But many of the fans who shouted the loudest on his behalf were the same people who are already making daily propaganda on social media about a failed, hate-filled president and his violent cronies.

Pratt pretended to believe that the AI-generated videos created by fans casting him as a comic book hero were real life instead of forgetting that he was a rookie trying to take on two seasoned politicians. While Bass and Raman toured the city during the first school term, Pratt limited his public appearances mostly to the Westside and random encounters with supporters he posted on social media. The few times he stepped outside of those safe havens it was like a safari in a mysterious city the 42-year-old Angeleno apparently didn’t know.

Take the South LA block party he hosted last month. Instead of having something to say about the state of Black LA or how its political leaders continue to neglect the region, all Pratt seemed to be taking that afternoon was the Rollin’ 60s Neighborhood Crips, information he shared ad nauseam on social media and in the media – as if kicking it with gang members would fix him or get him some votes.

That self-centered indifference culminated in Pratt’s best campaign moment. In one interview he participated in, Pratt put Bass on the defensive, turned Raman into a tongue-in-cheek mess, kept his answers sharp and relatable, and even earned praise from the moderators. He should have sought out more gatherings like that to flex his power on the television camera, make his case to as many Angelenos as possible and show the self-proclaimed Pratt Daddy as someone willing to answer tough questions anytime, anywhere, to anyone.

Instead, Pratt declined an invitation to their only scheduled debate and didn’t bother with public forums across the city that were held for members to hear from the candidates. Instead, Pratt flew to New York a week before election day to appear on Fox News.

Sticking to the sycophantic media asking softball questions hardened his roof. Pratt needed to convert people – not preach to the choir.

The thing is, Pratt made some strong points about the dysfunctionality of LA’s political climate and the anger that lives tens of thousands of people on our streets. And there’s something attractive about the outsider crashing into City Hall, which is very visible to sclerotic people who may not know what the city needs as Pratt has been.

Instead, he singled out people in the field who see LA as hell — or “the shithole,” as Trump likes to call certain places. It was hard to see what some of Pratt’s loudest and strongest supporters thought should be kept in town – but not why they felt he was their man.

After his loss, Pratt is sure that he did not refute the baseless claims of many of his supporters and Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson that the Democrats somehow rigged the election. To the contrary, Pratt has asserted on social media that there is something.

That last point reinforces the main reason Pratt will never be LA’s next mayor: He doesn’t really believe in LA.

Angelenos don’t care about haters — it’s the kind of city that frustrates residents even on its best days. But another insult the residents will not be able to pass by someone who has no hope for better days to come in the city no matter how bad things are.

Angelenos can spot a fake from afar — and Spencer, turns out to be more of a fake than any of the television shows she’s ever appeared on.

He vowed to leave LA if he didn’t win the race for mayor. Maybe you should sit back and try to fairly pressure Bass and Raman to make the necessary changes. If you do, encourage your supporters to do the same instead of booing and quieting the mayoral race.

But if you don’t, well, you probably never will indeed he loved LA as the City of Angels, warts and all, deserved. And you always need it indeed LA love is really fixing what you have.

Go up, or get out of town.