Spencer Pratt used as political poison in alleged fake Instagram scheme in Dem vs. Dem state Senate race

Spencer Pratt didn’t survive the primary in the Los Angeles mayor’s race, but the reality TV star has apparently been resurrected in a new role — a political bogeyman in one of California’s nastiest Dem-on-Dem races.West Hollywood Councilmember John Erickson, a Democratic candidate for state Senate, is accused of operating a fake Instagram account masquerading as supporters of rival Democrat Brian Goldsmith — not only tying Goldsmith to Pratt but also posting inflammatory messages about Israel seemingly calculated to provoke angry and antisemitic responses.The accusation comes from Zennon Ulyate-Crow, a Gen Z Democrat who finished last in the June primary and later endorsed Goldsmith.Ulyate-Crow said the suspicious “Pratt Voters 4 Goldsmith” account began peppering provocative comments in his Goldsmith endorsement post — prompting him to test whether it was connected to Erickson through a quirk in Instagram’s blocking feature.Instagram gives users the option to block an account along with other existing or future accounts the platform associates with the same person.Ulyate-Crow said he selected that option when he blocked Erickson’s verified account — and found the “Pratt Voters 4 Goldsmith” account was blocked as well.When he unblocked Erickson, he said, the purported Pratt-backers account reappeared.

Ulyate-Crow did not take screenshots of that process, but he documented his side of the story in an Instagram post that has racked up 14,700 views.Soon after posting that video the account Pratt Voters 4 Goldsmith was “nuked,” Ulyate-Crow said.The now-deleted “Pratt Voters 4 Goldsmith” account described itself as a “coalition of Pratt supporters” backing Goldsmith and featured American and Israeli flags.“Mad that Pratt ‘lost’? Help Goldsmith! He is a changemaker like Pratt, and backed by changemaker Caruso!” the account’s bio stated, referring to billionaire developer and former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Rick Carus...