Former reality star Spencer Pratt’s lead over councilwoman Nithya Raman in the Los Angeles mayoral contest narrowed Thursday, while Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton slid behind Democrat Tom Steyer.Following the devastating Los Angeles wildfires, California’s key elections have taken on national significance, serving as critical testing grounds for the future of progressive leadership.Pratt, a registered Republican, sits far behind incumbent Democratic Mayor Karen Bass for a chance to advance to the November general election.Bass has already secured enough votes to advance.With 163,549 votes in Los Angeles' latest tabulation, Pratt maintains a near 6% lead on Raman, who has 130,473 votes, according to the Thursday vote count from Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder and the County Clerk.A Fox News Digital review of an archived version of Los Angeles' official vote tally shows that Raman gained over 10,000 votes in the latest count compared to under 6,000 for Pratt.
At the previous count, Pratt had 157,116 votes compared to Raman's 119,809.LA CITY COUNCILWOMAN PREVIOUSLY BACKED BY DSA RUNNING FOR MAYOR IN PRIMARY CHALLENGE TO BASSMayoral candidate Spencer Pratt hosts a campaign block party on 10th Avenue in Los Angeles on May 20, 2026.(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)CALIFORNIA ELECTION RESULTS STILL UNDECIDED AS LOS ANGELES BEGINS COUNTING BALLOTSIn the governor's race, billionaire Democrat Tom Steyer surged past Republican candidate Steve Hilton after the latest count.
The batch boosted the billionaire, adding nearly 24,000 votes to his count, almost double the 12,309 votes that Hilton received.HILTON, BECERRA IN THE LEAD WITH VOTES STILL BEING COUNTED IN BATTLE FOR CALIFORNIA GOVERNORDemocratic candidate Tom Steyer attends a debate in the race for governor of California, hosted by the San Francisco Examiner and CBS, in San Francisco, California, on May 14, 2026 (Carlos Barria/REUTERS)Both candidates trail frontrunner Xavier Becerra, the form...