Insurgent candidate Spencer Pratt is gaining traction in the Los Angeles Mayoral race, much like Donald Trump did when he first ran for President in 2016.
New polls show all hell is breaking loose.
And Bill Maher made one jaw-dropping confession about Spencer Pratt that made Democrats panic.
Like Donald Trump, Spencer Pratt was a reality TV star turned outsider political candidate.
A McLaughlin & Associates poll showed Pratt tied for first with incumbent mayor Karen Bass at 30% and LA city councilwoman Nithya Raman at 23%.
Pratt ran for mayor after his house burned down in the Palisades fires and Bass botched the rebuild.
Campaign videos from Pratt went viral as he stuck to his core message of competency and public safety.
These Spencer Pratt videos by @dsonoiki are better than 99.9% of political consultant ads. He does it again. pic.twitter.com/hemFACa8xZ
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) May 29, 2026
Pratt’s also showcased a Trumpian streak as a populist outsider who pulls no punches in taking on the liberal establishment.
When actress and comedian Hannah Einbinder claimed it was vital to “resist” Pratt’s campaign, Pratt fired back, slamming Einbinder as the picture of the out-of-touch Hollywood elite who live an existence separate from the crime and homelessness that plague everyday Los Angelenos.
“She says from a literal red carpet, surrounded by armed security, completely insulated from the horrors on our streets that Angelenos and their kids have to suffer through every day. I’m glad she doesn’t have to suffer the consequences of Karen and Nithya’s failures, but she’s in an elite minority, and the rest of us want change,” Pratt wrote on X.
Bill Maher discussed Pratt’s campaign on his HBO Real Time show, where he admitted how much he liked Pratt.
“You know what? I know I’m supposed to hate him. I don’t.” Maher stated.
Maher said that even in arch-liberal Los Angeles, Pratt dominated the conversation because Pratt was the one candidate talking about the issues voters prioritized.
“It’s funny because he’s running as a Republican and doing quite well,” Maher added. “Everybody out here is like, ‘What do you think of Spencer Pratt?’ He’s on everybody’s mind. I was asking him about that.”
Donald Trump’s strength when he burst on the scene in 2016 was his authenticity.
Trump ran as who he was, and there were no consultants stage managing every appearance.
Maher revealed what he liked most about Pratt was that Pratt showed up for the interview with no advisors and leaned into his authenticity.
“Yeah, I mean, he’s a nice guy,” Maher continued. “What’s charming about him is he has no advisors. I confronted him on, like, this and this, you’re going to have to think about. ‘No, I only care about the issues I care about.’ So, he’s very honest about that.”
Pratt’s fate in the election is up in the air.
But what can’t be denied is that for the first time in anyone’s memory, a Republican made an impact on the Los Angeles Mayoral election.
That’s because Pratt tapped into the city’s frustration with failed liberal governance on the recovery from the fires and crime.
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