‘It’s Happening Again’: Trump Reacts as Raman Overtakes Pratt in LA Mayoral Race

Despite his initial overwhelming lead, Spencer Pratt has been surpassed in ballots by City Councilwoman Nithya Raman in the race to be Los Angeles city mayor–prompting criticism from Pratt supporters and renewed scrutiny of California’s vote-counting process.

Pratt held a lead on election night, receiving as much as 30% of the vote at one point. However, as additional ballots were counted over the following days, Raman steadily gained ground and ultimately surpassed Pratt, receiving 27% of the vote compared to Pratt’s 26.7%, with 83% of ballots counted.

On Sunday, Pratt took to X to express skepticism about the latest election results.

Questions about the election’s administration have also been raised by President Donald Trump. During an interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” Trump compared California’s vote-counting process to concerns he has previously expressed about national elections.

“It was a dirty election—and it’s happening again right now in California,” he said.

The president continued, “Do you think it’s appropriate that they have an election and five days later they’re nowhere close to picking a winner?”

According to U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, California is currently involved in a legal dispute with the federal government regarding access to voter registration data. Essayli stated that the Department of Justice requested access to California’s voting records in 2025. A federal judge dismissed the case in January 2026, and the matter is currently pending appeal before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.