Los Angeles held its mayoral primary on March 5, 2024, featuring incumbent Karen Bass, councilmember Paul Krekorian, and former reality‑TV personality Spencer Pratt. Pratt’s tough‑on‑crime platform attracted attention but could not dislodge the Democratic stronghold, and Bass ultimately won the November runoff with 54.8% of the vote.

Pratt’s vote share mirrors Trump’s 2024 Los Angeles showing

According to the primary results, Spencer Pratt captured roughly the same percentage of the vote that former President Donald Trump earned in the city’s 2024 presidential primary, underscoring a modest but notable anti‑establishment undercurrent. Despite viral ads and a debate appearance that drew some Democratic viewers, Pratt finihsed well behind both Bass and Krekorian, missing the runoff entirely.

Incumbent Karen Bass secures 54.8% in November runoff

The runoff on November 5, 2024, saw Bass defeat Krekorian 54.8% to 45.2%, a margin that reinforced her progressive agenda on homelessness, public safety, and climate action. As the report notes, the result “reinforces incumbent Karen Bass’s victory and reflecting a broader national trend of progressive dominance in major cities.”

Parallel defeats for centrist challengers in Chicago, New York, and Boston

In Chicago, voters rejected centrist former school chief Paul Vallas and elected progressive Brandon Johnson, while New York’s scandal‑plagued Mayor Eric Adams left the Democratic primary to run as an independent,only to be overtaken by a socialist‑leaning candidate. Boston’s Michelle Wu also crushed her opponent Josh Kraft with over 90% of the vote, illustrating how left‑leaning forces dominate urban electorates.

What the LA primary says about Republican prosppects in blue metros

As the source points out, the outcome “suggests that even a high‑profile, media‑savvy outsider struggles to dislodge entrenched Democratic leadership in cities where progressive policies dominate.” Analysts see little room for Republican or right‑leaning candidates in deep‑blue municipalities through 2026, with Washington, D.C. and San Francisco likely to continue drifting left.

Who will fill the anti‑establishment void?

While Pratt’s campaign highlighted voter frustration with progressive governance, the article leaves unanswered whether any future candidate can translate that discontent into a viable challenge. The piece does not name any organized right‑leaning coalition ready to contest the next mayoral cycle, and it does not provide polling on how much of Pratt’s base might shift to another outsider.